The United States defeated Mexico 3-0 in a feisty friendly in Arizona, but the match was overshadowed by a bizarre red card shown to Mexico's Mateo Chavez after he double slapped opponent Sebastian Berhalter in the face.
Mauricio Pochettino's side secured the win with goals from Julian Hall, Cavan Sullivan and Malik Tilman. Mexico were reduced to 10 men five minutes after Sullivan's goal when Chavez lashed out in a strange incident as the visitors grew frustrated.
Chaos erupts after red card
Chavez reacted after being shoved by Berhalter, slapping the American's face with both hands in a clapping motion before standing still, seemingly bewildered. Berhalter, the son of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, turned to the referee in astonishment and then fell to the ground.
Chavez was shown a straight red card, and a scuffle broke out between the teams, forcing Pochettino and other staff to run onto the pitch to separate the players.
Social media reaction
Fans reacted with amazement online. One user said: “this is sending me bc wth was he actually thinking.” A second joked: “Must have been a mosquito!” A third wrote: “VAR review saw two flies on Berhalter’s cheeks.” However, a Mexico fan fumed: “What a foolish way to squander the trust the coach gives you. You came off being the best in the last match.”
Sullivan scores first senior goal
Chavez had been on the pitch for only 20 minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute, earning his 14th cap for Mexico. He previously played for Tapatio and Guadalajara before joining AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie in 2025, where he has four goal involvements in seven games from left-back for the league leaders, who have 19 points from a possible 21.
The other major story was 17-year-old Sullivan scoring his first senior goal for the US. The midfielder plays for Philadelphia Union in the MLS but has agreed to join Manchester City when he turns 18, having signed a pre-agreement with the club as a 14-year-old. Sullivan capitalised on a shocking error from goalkeeper Raul Rangel, intercepting his pass and lifting the ball over the stranded keeper from distance.
