The United States escaped the half-filled Estadio Azteca with a 0-0 draw against Mexico on Thursday night and were in perfect position to secure a World Cup berth with a home win against Panama this weekend.
Best U.S. Near Christian Pulisic The opportunity was there, but was denied twice by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Jack Stephens started on Ethan Horvath and scored his second shutout against Mexico in qualifying.
El Trai fans thrash the home team on the final whistle.
In the thin air of the 7,200-foot-altitude Azteca, the U.S. Qualifying for a third straight draw was expensive. Defender DeAndre Yedlin and winger Timothy Weh were both given their second yellow cards of qualifying and were suspended for Sunday's game against Panama in Orlando, Florida, after the last of the field finals.
The Americas maintained second place in North and Central America and the Caribbean with 22 points, four behind Canada and ahead of Mexico on goal difference. With a win on Sunday, the United States will ensure that fourth-placed Costa Rica can win only their last two matches.
America have a plus-nine goal difference, first tiebreaker and Los Ticos plus-two after a 1-0 win over Canada. The United States started Wednesday in Costa Rica, where the Americans never won in qualifying. The top three nations qualify, and the number 4 team advances to the playoffs, possibly against New Zealand.
Panama have 17 points after a 1-1 draw by touring Honduras.
After FIFA ordered Mexico to play a pair of home qualifiers without fans as punishment for anti-gay chants during the October qualifiers against Honduras and Canada, the Mexican Football Federation reduced the crowd at the 87,000-seat stadium to around 30,000. reduced to . was limited to 40,000 and mandatory spectators were present. A QR code and identification for entry. For the first half, the two sections of American Outlaws in the upper deck were louder than Mexico's supporters.
Yedlin got his second yellow in the 26th minute for an unnecessary slide tackle in midfield, leaving US Sergio Dest out with a hamstring injury, and Reggie Cannon testing positive for COVID-19.
He received the yellow card in the 39th minute, Pulisic alone in the 36th minute when he found two defenders with crosses. Chasing a defender running toward goal, Pulisic redirected the ball 7 yards with his left foot for Ochoa to react enough to block the shot from his ribcage. Pulisic had another close call with an angled left footed shot that Ochoa crossed for a corner kick in the 49th.
Raul Jimenez appealed for a penalty kick from Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar at the end of the second half when he fell on the leg of defender Walker Zimmerman.
As the pair enters the game, Jordan Payfolk sends an open shot from a Giovanni Reyna pass. Reyna then dribbled half the length of the field in the 77th, surviving four tackles before the ball was knocked out.
As play began, Hirving Lozano sent a shot just above the crossbar. Aaron Long and Eric Palmer-Brown entered the 80th minute, as the 37th and 38th American players were used in qualifying.
Palmer-Brown became the 114th player to be used in a World Cup cycle, the 88th since Berhalter took over as coach in December 2018.