Pulisic riding high after Nations League win

DENVER, Colorado (AP):

Christian Pulisic lifted a trophy for the second time in eight days, this time his first for the United States.

Ethan Horvath, back in Colorado for the first time in three or four years, expected to watch the game from the bench and found himself saving Andrés Guardado’s penalty kick – in the 124th minute!

The first Concacaf Nations League final turned on an injury and not one or two but three video reviews.

“This is the perfect way to end the year,” Pulisic said after his penalty kick in the 114th minute led the United States over Mexico 3-2 on Sunday night in a frantic finale of the first staging of the competition.

Or as US coach Gregg Berhalter put it: “One of the classic, odd US-Mexico games.”

DISRUPTION

A testy match that was stopped for about three minutes in second-half stoppage time because of discriminatory fan chants at Mile High Stadium also was marred by American attacker Giovanni Reyna getting hit in the face by a thrown object after Pulisic’s goal.

“Total lack of respect for what’s happening on the field and all effort that both teams are putting into the game,” Berhalter said. “I think he’s going to be okay, but he did take something to the head, and it could have been a lot worse.”

Horvath, who a week earlier played his first international match since March 2019, entered in the 69th minute, seven minutes after starting US goalkeeper Zack Steffen fell to the ground, clutching his left knee, after coming off his line in what seemed to be a routine manner to grab a through pass from Héctor Herrera that was too far for Uriel Antuna.

“If you’re on the bench as a keeper, you don’t expect to come in the game,” said the 25-year-old Horvath, who had about 20 family and friends at the match.