On This Day in 2021, Pulisic and McKennie Showed Who's Really in Charge in Another Classic Against Mexico
The answer to everything the United States had endured—the chaos in Panama, the desperate salvation against Costa Rica, the mounting pressure of a qualifying campaign that had lurched between transcendence and crisis—arrived not as proclamation, but as provocation.
Mexico's veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, speaking to reporters in the days before Friday's World Cup qualifier in Cincinnati, offered what seemed like a casual observation. "Mexico has been that mirror in which the United States wants to see themselves," he said, "what they want to copy."
The comment barely registered on any scale of genuine trash talk. Instead, it became fuel. Gregg Berhalter seized it during his pre-match press conference, suggesting his team would need to deliver another message on the field. What followed at TQL Stadium on a cold, rain-soaked November 12 night became something more than three points—it became vindication wrapped in theater. It would announce the United States as genuine rivals rather than aspirational challengers.
The forecast had promised misery: 39 degrees with wind chill, rain throughout, conditions designed to strip away comfort for a Mexican side accustomed to warm-weather tournaments. This was different—26,000 supporters packed into a soccer-specific venue, creating the hostile environment that had defined the old "Dos a Cero" era in Columbus.
Berhalter's lineup carried the weight of absence. Christian Pulisic remained on the bench, still recovering from his ankle injury. Sergiño Dest was unavailable with back problems. Giovanni Reyna remained in Germany. The Americans would face Mexico's experience with youth and depth: eight starters were 24 or younger, including Ricardo Pepi, the dual national who had chosen the United States over his parents' homeland just three months earlier.
The opening 20 minutes suggested neither team would grant the other any psychological advantage. Both goalkeepers were tested early—Zack Steffen diving to his left to parry Hirving Lozano's low drive from 25 yards, then sprawling again minutes later when Jesús Corona's one-timer threatened the near post. At the other end, Ochoa smothered Tim Weah's ambitious attempt from distance, the kind of speculative shot that suggested the Americans were still searching for rhythm in the attacking third.
The frenetic pace never truly slowed. The teams traded possession without creating clear chances, both sides wary of the mistake that might define the evening. When the halftime whistle arrived, the scoreless draw felt less like stalemate than suspended animation—something inevitable was building, but neither team had discovered how to unlock it.
The second half began with renewed American purpose. Weston McKennie forced Ochoa into a diving save in the 50th minute, smashing a shot from the top of the penalty area after Weah's clever cutback pass found him in space. The hosts were creating chances, controlling territory, beginning to impose themselves on opponents who seemed content to absorb pressure and wait for counterattacking opportunities.
Then the match turned hostile in ways that had always defined this rivalry. In the 68th minute, Mexico's Luis Rodríguez grabbed Brenden Aaronson's face from behind during a challenge, his fingers clawing at the American winger in a gesture that transcended competitive aggression. Players from both teams converged. Voices escalated. The referee distributed yellow cards to McKennie, Steffen and Rodríguez—the caution to McKennie meaning suspension for Tuesday's qualifier in Jamaica, but the immediate consequence was strategic.
Berhalter decided the moment demanded his absent star. In the 69th minute, Pulisic entered for Aaronson. Five minutes later, the match was decided.
Yunus Musah, the 18-year-old midfielder who had emerged as one of the team's most reliable performers, threaded a pass to Weah on the right flank. Weah drove toward the end line with the kind of purposeful dribbling that suggested he understood the moment's weight. His cross—delivered with precision from near the six-yard box—found Pulisic charging toward the near post.
The header was glancing, perfectly directed past Ochoa's outstretched hand and into the net. It was Pulisic's first touch of the game in a competitive match for the United States since September 8. The 26,000 supporters who had endured the cold and rain erupted. Pulisic sprinted toward the sideline and lifted his jersey to reveal a white undershirt with "Man in the Mirror" written in permanent marker—a direct response to Ochoa's pre-match comments.
"I think you guys know the message," Pulisic would say afterward, his tone suggesting the gesture was simultaneously significant and inconsequential. "It's not a big thing I'm trying to cause controversy. It was just an idea that came into my head."
The celebration carried an air of vindication that extended beyond one goal. This was a chance for the team's third consecutive victory over Mexico in 2021, but the first in World Cup qualifying—the competition that mattered most, where historical patterns still carried weight. The old "Dos a Cero" scoreline from Columbus qualifiers in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013 seemed to whisper from the past, suggesting this rivalry's narratives were cyclical rather than linear.
11 minutes later, McKennie ensured the prophecy would be fulfilled. Working a combination with substitute Jesús Ferreira at the top of the penalty area, McKennie collected a deflection off a Mexican midfielder Carlos Rodríguez and slotted the ball into the far corner with clinical efficiency. His eighth international goal. His suspension for the Jamaica match already secured, but the moment belonged entirely to the present.
The stadium sound system, in a final act of orchestrated theater, played "Man in the Mirror" as the Americans celebrated. Berhalter, addressing the media afterward, couldn't quite suppress his satisfaction. "We talked about how we didn't think they gave us enough respect and we had to go out and earn it," he said. "We went out and earned it today."
Miles Robinson received a second yellow card in the 89th minute, forcing the Americans to finish a man down, but the result was never in doubt. When the final whistle confirmed the 2-0 victory, the United States moved into first place in the CONCACAF qualifying table with 14 points—level with Mexico but ahead on goal difference at the competition's midpoint.
The euphoria lasted exactly four days. In Kingston's Independence Park on November 16, the Americans discovered that survival in CONCACAF qualifying demanded more than dramatic home victories. They settled for a 1-1 draw that felt simultaneously acceptable and inadequate. Berhalter made minimum changes—Chris Richards replacing the suspended Robinson, Gianluca Busio stepping in for McKennie. Weah provided early promise with a solo goal in the 11th minute, dancing through Jamaica's defense with individual brilliance.
Then Michail Antonio equalized in the 22nd minute, unleashing a rising shot from 30 yards that screamed into the upper corner past Steffen. Jamaica had a goal disallowed in the 84th minute, but neither team found a winner. Pulisic entered in the 66th minute, searching for Friday's magic, but the spark never materialized. The draw dropped the Americans to second place after Canada defeated Mexico, but the mathematics remained favorable: 15 points from eight games, comfortably positioned in the top three with six matches remaining.
What had begun with Ochoa's philosophical observation had transformed into something substantial—a week that defined the campaign's duality. At home, this young team could match anyone. On the road, they remained a work in progress. The victory over Mexico demonstrated that Berhalter's faith in youth wasn't misplaced. Pulisic's goal, McKennie's insurance strike, the theatrical response to perceived disrespect—all suggested a team finding its identity through adversity. The Jamaica draw provided necessary counterbalance, the reminder that qualifying campaigns are marathons.
"We're still in a good position," Tyler Adams said. "It's going to be super important we continue to win our home games, get points on the road when we can."
The mirror had revealed something unexpected. Not Mexico's image staring back, but something distinctly American: talented, young, occasionally brilliant, perpetually learning, and increasingly dangerous. Whether that would ultimately lead to Qatar remained to be determined. For now, halfway through the qualifying gauntlet, it was enough to be in control of the journey.
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