16 June 2023 , 09:09
838
0
United States' 3-0 victory over Mexico descended into chaos on Friday, after the two teams were involved in a number of brawls, which saw Weston McKennie's shirt almost ripped from him.
The USMNT took on their Mexican rivals in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final, with a spot in Monday's final against Canada up for grabs. And it was the US who got off to the perfect start, as golden boy Christian Pulisic put them 1-0 ahead partway through the first half.
Things then got even better for Pulisic and his team, as the Chelsea star doubled his tally for the evening just moments after the restart, to give the Americans an important 2-0 lead.
With plenty on the line, tensions were high throughout the clash and this finally boiled over with 20 minutes left on the clock, as debutant Folarin Balogun was brutally hacked down by Cesar Montes. Unsurprisingly Montes was sent off, but the drama surrounding the tackle was not done there.
USMNT feeling "pressure" over head coach amid Marsch links ahead of World Cup
Montes was confronted by a whole host of US players, before his Mexican teammates flew to his defence as chaos broke out. Most notably American star McKennie found himself embroiled in the clash, and came away with his playing shirt ripped from his chest.
Clearly unfazed, the former Leeds United loanee reacted by kissing the US badge on his ripped in the direction of the Mexican supporters, before swapping for a replacement. The referee however was clearly unimpressed with his antics, and showed McKennie a red card of his own one minute later.
Weston McKennie was also sent off (Candice Ward/USSF/Getty Images)With both sides down to 10, it was once again the USMNT who went on to capitalise, as they booked their place in the final thanks to Ricardo Pepi as he added a third on the evening to move his team 3-0 ahead. With five minutes left on the clock, there was still time for one more bit of drama though.
As the ball made its way out for a throw-in, the US' Sergino Dest and Mexico's Gerardo Arteaga were the next to clash. Some pushing and shoving was exchanged, before both raised their hands leaving referee Ivan Barton with no option to send Dest and Arteaga off.
Sergino Dest and Gerardo Arteaga also clashed (AP)The game was then paused by Barton as discriminatory chanting was heard from the stands of the Allegiant Stadium, play later resumed but after the calls were heard once more, the match officials opted to call time on the match five minutes early in an ugly evening for North American football.
Speaking post-match, Pulisic said: "It's a great scoreline for us, it's a big win and we're into the finals," Pulisic said. "But the game didn't need to turn into all the madness that it did. They really need to control the game much more. It's sad. And now we're missing two good players just because everyone's losing their heads. I'm a little bit upset but at the end of the day we're in the final."