Four Nations Cup MatchDay One Review

Mexico And USA Cruise To Reach Four Nations Cup Championship Match
By Dash Hammond

Mexico 7, Brazil 2

First Quarter
The game sparked into life just 2:26 in, when Medina muscled his way down the wall and slipped a low shot past Rainer to give Mexico the early lead. Brazil wasted no time in responding, however, capitalizing on a turnover as Rian raced down the line and fed Vassoura, who smashed an angled shot into the top right corner to level at 1–1. Both sides traded blows from there, with Hernandez and Rainer standing tall in the net. Brazil nearly took the lead with two close chances—the first rattling off the post and the second denied by a diving Hernandez—as the quarter ended evenly poised.

Second Quarter
Brazil came close to breaking the deadlock when Leo’s rocket struck the crossbar just seconds into the frame. Mexico nearly answered, stringing together a sequence of wall passes and a headed attempt, but Rainer produced a key save to keep things square. While Mexico controlled much of the possession, Brazil carved out clearer opportunities. The two teams went into halftime still locked at 1–1.

Third Quarter
Mexico quickly opened the second half. Just two minutes in, Moralez pounced on a Brazilian giveaway and thundered a strike past Rainer to reclaim the lead. Moments later, he nearly struck again, only to see his shot cannon off the post. Mexico then turned momentum into goals, as Medina set up Valenzuela for a tidy finish inside the bottom corner to make it 3–1. Shortly after, Medina got in on the scoring again—his shot took a deflection off Rainer and dribbled in for his second of the night. He completed his hat trick minutes later, calmly finishing Rojo’s cross to the back post and stretching Mexico’s lead to 5–1 by the end of the quarter.

Fourth Quarter
Mexico continued its offensive onslaught into the final frame. Mendez was booked for boarding—the first blue card of the tournament—Mexico was keeping a hard press. Brazil’s Vassoura soon joined him in the penalty box, giving Mexico another opening. Fresh out of the box, Mendez found himself on the end of a Rojo setup, tapping home into an empty net to extend the lead to 6–1. With Brazil pushing forward using a sixth attacker, Gallegos slid a pass across the field and into an empty net for Mexico’s seventh goal. Brazil salvaged a late consolation when Douglas executed a scissor kick to make it 2 for Brazil.

United States 7, Colombia 2

First Quarter
The U.S. struck first just minutes in, when Nick Perera set up Justin Stinson, who hammered a shot off the crossbar and in for the early lead. The Americans nearly doubled it soon after, but Colombia’s Santiago denied a flurry of shots in spectacular fashion. A turning point came when the USA’s Acosta shot was blocked by Santiago outside the box, resulting in a blue card and a shootout. Perera stepped up but couldn’t convert, leaving the lead at one. Colombia then equalized midway through the quarter as Sanchez launched a long through ball to Fernandez, who calmly slotted past Pardo to make it 1–1. The opening frame ended evenly matched.

Second Quarter
After a stretch of back-and-forth play, the U.S. reclaimed the lead through Reget, who turned on a set piece and rifled a shot into the top corner. Both sides created opportunities, but neither broke through before halftime, with the Americans holding a slim 2–1 edge.

Third Quarter
The second half began with a seven-minute goal drought before Mendez broke the deadlock, sneaking a shot through traffic to extend the USA advantage. Colombia responded quickly, as Ortiz found Fernandez for his second goal of the night to cut the deficit back to one. The U.S. answered with a slick combination between Stinson and Perera, finished off by Stinson to restore breathing room. Perera then added to the tally, spinning on a feed from Sanchez and firing low into the corner to make it a brace. Just before the buzzer, Bond finished off a setup from Mijatovic to push the U.S. lead to 6–2 heading into the final frame.

Fourth Quarter
Defense dominated much of the last quarter, with neither side breaking through for the first eight minutes. USA then capped the night when Pacheco slipped a ball wide to Sanchez, who finished near post to seal a commanding 7–2 victory.