USWNT boss after rare Mexico defeat: No ‘easy games’ anymore

Interim United States women’s national team coach Twila Kilgore stated that her side face “no easy games anymore” after a stunning 2-0 loss to rival Mexico in a Concacaf W Gold Cup group-stage clash on Monday.

“It just shows how far the game is coming and there’s no easy games anymore,” Kilgore said after the USWNT’s first defeat to Mexico since 2010. “If we don’t take care of business and we don’t execute, this is to be expected and we’ll step up and take ownership of that.”

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It was just Mexico’s second-ever win over the USWNT and comes after a disappointing run at last summer’s Women’s World Cup that resulted in a U.S. exit at the round of 16. Since Kilgore took over as interim coach after the World Cup, the USWNT was undefeated through eight games until the defeat to Mexico.

Heading into the match, the U.S. had a lopsided lead in the Concacaf rivalry with a 40-1-1 record.

Monday’s result meant Mexico topped Group A with seven points, while the USWNT finished second with six points. Argentina finished third with four points and the Dominican Republic coming last with zero points.

“I think they had a good game plan, I think we had a good game plan and simply they just executed theirs better than ours,”…