The US men’s national team triumphed over Mexico on Saturday in a match that felt far from friendly.
A turning point came in the second half when Mateo Chavez fouled Yunus Musah, leading to Sebastian Berhalter confronting him and pushing him away.
Instead of backing down, Chavez retaliated, slapping Berhalter with both hands simultaneously.
After the slap, Berhalter fell to the ground, clutching his cheek as the referee intervened, and Alex Freeman, another American player, stepped in to push Chavez back.
Chavez received a red card and was sent off the field after being involved for less than 20 minutes.
This incident sparked some mayhem between the teams, prompting USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff to rush onto the pitch to break things up.
The U.S. managed to score two of their three goals in the second half, highlighted by Cavan Sullivan’s impressive shot that took advantage of a significant blunder from Mexico’s goalkeeper, Raul Rangel, extending the U.S. lead to 2-0.
Sullivan intercepted a pass from Rangel and skillfully lifted the ball over him from outside the box, marking his first goal with the national team at only 17 years old, making him the youngest player to score for the program.
Julian Hall had initially opened the score in the first half, while Malik Tillman added the third goal just before the match ended.
Pochettino, who recently extended his contract with U.S. Soccer, is in the process of reshaping his team following a disappointing World Cup exit marked by a tough 4-1 loss to Belgium in the knockout stage.
Saturday’s victory marked the team’s third win in as many games during this three-week international break.
The USMNT is set to take on Canada next on Tuesday.
