CINCINNATI: Second-half substitute Christian Pulisic headed home a cross from Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie slotted home another as the young United States team downed old rivals Mexico 2-0 to move to the top of CONCACAF’s 2022 World Cup qualifying race on Friday.

After an intense first half where US goalkeeper Zack Steffen made two crucial saves, the fired up Cincinnati crowd roared its approval when Pulisic, who had been nursing a sprained ankle, came in off the bench.

TQL Stadium practically exploded five minutes later when the 23-year-old Chelsea winger headed home the go-ahead goal. McKennie’s aggressive play was rewarded in the 85th minute when he scored to put the game out of reach for El Tri.

The hard-fought match saw tempers boil over midway through the second half and McKennie earned one of four yellow cards handed out in the match.

US defender Miles Robinson was sent off after a second yellow for pulling down Chucky Lozano in the 89th minute. He and McKennie will both miss Tuesday’s match against Jamaica.

With the win, the United States and Mexico now both have 14 points to sit atop the CONCACAF standings, with the US ahead on goal difference halfway through the 14-game qualifying tournament.

Canada’s 1-0 win over Costa Rica in Edmonton on Jonathan David’s 57th-minute goal leaves them in third place in the table with 13 points.

Panama have 11 after they rallied for a 3-2 win at last-placed Honduras, who were 2-0 up with 13 minutes remaining.

Jamaica and El Salvador played out a 1-1 draw in Kingston to leave them both on six points alongside Costa Rica, and three ahead of Honduras.

The top three nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean qualify for next year’s tournament in Qatar and the fourth-placed nation advances to a playoff.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2021