United States beats Mexico 2-0 to win third-straight CONCACAF Nations League crown as goals from Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna ease pressure on coach Gregg Berhalter… but win is marred by homophobic chants

A lot of negative things have been said about Gregg Berhalter this past week – about his tactics, his man management, his team selection, and so on. It was all on display against Jamaica in an ugly match that the United States narrowly escaped.

All these concerns have merit. But even if you’re the most ardent “Berhalter Out” person, you have to give him credit: the man knows how to beat Mexico.

Tonight he did it again. Despite fans and former American players calling for his job, the manager whose reappointment was deemed a controversy gave his team a huge morale boost ahead of the Copa America with a 2–0 win over their biggest international rivals. Dos a cero, again.

Berhalter’s decision to start Adams, a player recovering from injury, came under scrutiny. Adams repaid the manager by scoring a rocket of a goal from more than 30 yards out, sending AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas into hysterics.

At least a few people wondered whether or not Gio Reyna should have been brought into the team despite his lack of minutes at Nottingham Forest. That minority of critics were silenced when Reyna cleared a second chance to double the lead for the USMNT.

Adams jumps into the arms of his national team manager, Gregg Berhalter

This team from the United States won the country’s third CONCACAF Nations League title

“It’s never going to be fun to win titles with your country,” Reyna said with a smile after the match. He would be honored as player of the tournament later that evening.

This result probably won’t change the mind of anyone deep in the “Berhalter Out” camp. They will point out some very obvious facts that will reduce the quality of the victory.

Yes, this is a bad Mexico team – it has been a bad Mexico team for a while, perhaps the worst in the country’s history. Yes, Jaime Lozano is the third person to lead Mexico in just over a year with a black eye from the Mexican Football Federation. Yes, Mexico hasn’t beaten the United States since a 3-0 win at MetLife Stadium all the way back in September 2019.

But give Berhalter this small honor: When people said he didn’t deserve the honor of coaching the United States men’s national team, he presented his country with a trophy: its third consecutive Nations League crown.

They almost didn’t get there. A defeat against Jamaica seemed imminent when the Reggae Boys took advantage within a minute of the semi-final of the Nations League that the Americans played on Thursday.

Throughout that entire match, the USMNT struggled to make an impact. They couldn’t break the backline, their shots looked ineffective, their wayward passing, their runs and play in the penalty area were disastrous.

But on the final kick of the match, a Miles Robinson header bounced off Jamaican forward Cory Burke and into his own net, leveling the match and forcing extra time.

The victory came thanks to a pair of goals from Haji Wright, who took advantage of the exhausted Jamaicans to advance to the final.

Gio Reyna scored with a brilliant volley to take a 2-0 lead over their rivals in the second half

Berhalter, whose placement of Reyna at the World Cup led to a scandal, hugs the player

There were changes in that team. Berhalter, realizing he could not start without a steady presence in midfield, turned to Adams to start the match alongside Reyna after both had been used as substitutes in the last match.

The Americans clearly had the advantage from the start. Adams’ strike was long in coming, but was a beautiful shot that had fans in hysterics. It was his first start in 478 games and only his second goal for the senior team.

“The last time I played for the national team, life was obviously very different,” Adams said. “Now that my son is here and my fiancé is here, the impact they have both had on me has been phenomenal. They got me through many dark times. But yes, now that I’m here and sharing this moment with them, I can’t wait to see them and give them a big hug, but it means the world to me.”

Even when Adams fouled out in the second half, the United States did not relent. A wonderful opportunity was taken, but not far enough. Reyna saw his opportunity and took it past Ochoa. That infamous score, Dos a Cero, came back to haunt Mexico.

The match became difficult in the second half, with Mexican Edson Alvarez (L) receiving a yellow card

There were homophobic chants as Matt Turner kicked the ball, leading to two stoppages

The fans didn’t take that well. Last year, during the Nations League semi-finals, when the Mexican team was losing badly, fans started chanting homophobic slurs as the American goalkeeper was awarded a goal kick. Despite it happening dozens of times, it took a long time for referee Ivan Barton to end the match with about three minutes left.

Flash forward to tonight. At that score line, scenes of Mexican fans leaving the stadium were greeted with the same chants. Referee Drew Fischer stopped the match twice because of the embarrassing display.

Before he had the chance to do so for the third time, the match was over. Mexico lost Dos a Cero again, as the Americans placed themselves firmly at the top of CONCACAF with a seven-match unbeaten streak.

As Sergino Dest sprayed champagne on his teammates in the locker room, the Americans celebrated their achievement, knowing a much tougher test awaits them this summer.