Prior to Wednesday’s U-23 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying match between the United States and Mexico, both teams knew they were already through to the semifinal. But, this being U.S. - Mexico, nobody wanted to play it safe.
From the start of the match, Mexico made it a point to constantly kick and foul CF Montreal’s Djordje Mihailovic, although referee Daneon Parchment apparently didn’t see enough to award a single yellow card to Mexico until the 84th minute. The former Chicago Fire man was often an outlet for the U.S.’s build up play, which Mexico was intent on stopping with fouls.