CARSON, Calif. — It took nearly 14 years and 16 consecutive defeats, but on Monday night, for the first time since 2010, the Mexico women’s national team defeated the U.S.
Thanks to spectacular goals from Lizbeth Ovalle and Mayra Pelayo, El Tri Femenil topped their group in the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup with a stunning 2-0 win over their border rivals. Despite the rain at Dignity Health Sports Park and the U.S.’s psychological edge — they held a daunting 40-1-1 record in the series entering Monday night’s match — Mexico not only found a way to clinch the historic victory, but were also completely deserving of the result. Hungry, fearless and bold — Mexico coach Pedro Lopez described his roster as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” before the tournament — the players were flawless as they shut down opposing attacks, pressed high and created danger going forward.
Backed by a Southern California crowd of 11,612 that at times made the match feel like a home game for Mexico, it became very clear with every probing forward pass, every confident shot from distance and every crunching tackle that El Tri Femenil were determined to make a statement.
“I think this time it’s a little bit different,” hinted Mexico’s María Sánchez before the W Gold Cup about the…
