Mexico Advances Past Group Stage

After a disappointing Nations League collapse versus the United States, Mexico entered the tournament with many questions. Mexico had lost embarrassingly to their arch-rival 3 – 0 and dominated in every third of the pitch. Many wondered how Mexico would react to that beating, we have now seen how, they beat up on everyone in the Gold Cup (4-0 and 3-1). They were the first team to advance in the group stage of play and still have a match against Qatar to play on July 2 in Santa Clara at Levi’s Stadium.

Mexico decided to wear the uniform of their women’s team to honor them, it was a great moment to see, and the outcome of the match made it even better. The Mexican women’s team failed to qualify for the women’s world cup in 2023. The whale tail uniform brought success to the men’s side in a match they wanted to win to end any doubt about their team or federation.

Mexico’s unknown ride in Group B of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup went how the team and federation hoped on Thursday night with a 3-1 triumph over Haiti. The match took place in Glendale, Arizona in front of a heavily one-sided Mexican crowd.

Santiago Gimenez scored his first Gold Cup goal, and Uriel Antuna chipped in with two assists to pace El Tricolor to a second straight win and solidified a first-place position in the group.

The game had an electrifying start with several big chances in the first 10 minutes. Mexico saw Edson Alvarez’s follow-up shot off a block from Haiti’s goalkeeper Alexandre Pierre hit the post when he had plenty of room inside the first post. The score would remain 0 – 0 despite the golden chance for Mexico being gifted to them.

Seconds later Haiti’s Carlens Arcus sent a laser toward the Mexican net that sliced inches wide. The frenetic start was then capped by a Jorge Alvarez volley that just missed over the crossbar into the crowd. The volley chance looked like it would open the floodgates of scoring but instead, we find ourselves at 0 – 0 wondering when that first goal will arrive.

A golden opportunity was gifted to Haiti in the 29’, but they could not capitalize when a Mexico giveaway deep in their own half saw Wilde-Donald Guerrier miss the best chance for Hati so far, he shot the ball right at Guillermo Ochoa despite having room to place the ball into the back of the net. This would come back to haunt them tonight in their match versus Mexico.

Things eventually settled into Mexico’s dominating possession and pegged Haiti back into their half. It almost yielded a goal with Henry Martin missing just wide after a mis-hit clearance from Haiti’s Ricardo Ade gifted the chance.

Martin would quickly get his redemption just 44 seconds into the start of the second half with a thumping header off a cross from Antuna on the right side of the box. The cross was perfectly placed and timed onto Martin’s head in the center of the box just yards from the goal giving Mexico a 1-0 lead early in the second half.

Haiti had difficulty dealing with Mexico in transition and it led to a second goal for El Tri in the 56’, with a deep cross from Jesus Gallardo being turned into the Haiti net by Hati’s center back Ade, making it 2-0 and putting Mexico in complete control of the match at that point.

Going down two goals, though, brought out the best soccer from Haiti we saw all night which isn’t saying much given Mexico had numerous chances to make it 3 – 0 before the comeback kings of the recent Gold Cups, suddenly making it a 2-1 contest in the 78’ when Danley Jean smacked in a header off a corner kick. Unfortunately for Hati that was the last goal they would score. Mexico would find a third goal to restore the two-goal advantage in the 83′ when they had a 2 v 1 break against Hati, Uriel Antuna rushed down the right flank and sent in a deadly cross past the outstretched Haitian defender finding the foot of Santiago Gimenez and the ball went inside the 2nd post for the goal.

Hati will play Honduras in their final group stage match on July 2, in Charlotte, North Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium at 9 pm following the United States match.

Photo Credit: Concacaf.com