The 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League semi-final fixture between USA and Mexico was an extremely chaotic affair. USMNT won 3-0 but the fixture saw four red cards in the second half which were given in the aftermath of two big brawls between the two teams. A Christian Pulisic brace nearly finished off the game as the Chelsea winger rediscovered form after a poor 2022-23 season.
Then in the second half, the true action kick-started when Weston McKennie was sent off as the Leeds loanee had an angry reaction to Mexico defender Cesar Montes' vicious sliding tackle on Folarin Balogun. This tackle led to a massive brawl where McKennie got his jersey torn off and two red cards.
At the 78-minute mark, Ricardo Pepi scored a top goal before another massive fight broke out where Mexico’s Edson Alvarez kicks USA full-back Sergino Dest in the chest and garnered an animated reaction. Here Gerardo Arteaga got involved and pushed away Dest and was sent off for it. But then Dest’s emotions also got the better of him, resulting in him shoving back right in Arteaga's face and getting the fourth red card of the match.
But the drama at the Allegiant Stadium didn’t end there with Referee Ivan Barton pausing the game in the 89th minute because of anti-gay chanting heard from the crowd. Play resumed, and with four minutes left to go in injury time, but Barton soon blew the final whistle after a goal kick by U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner when these homophobic chant restarted in the stadium.
“These are rivalry games. These are derby games. Things like this happen across the world and in no way am I embarrassed,” B.J. Callaghan said after his first game as U.S. interim coach. “It comes from a good place. They care about each other so much in that locker room that they’re standing up for each other. Sometimes does it have an issue where we take a red card? Yeah, but when you know where it comes from, you can accept it and it’s a learning lesson for us.”
