Sunday, November 19th, 2023.- Argentina defeated the United States 2-1 in the second round of CP Football, thus recovering from the defeat suffered in the debut against Brazil. The North Americans, in turn, had defeated Chile, so they lost their unbeaten record. 

The nearly 30-degree Celsius temperature was synonymous with the intensity of both teams, which made some changes to their lineups compared to their respective debuts. 

In this regard, the Argentinians looked better, taking possession of the ball and creating the best opportunities to open the scoring with at least five shots on target against the outstanding North American goalkeeper, Sean Boyle. 

The United States relied heavily on counterattacks from Shea Hammond on the right flank with crosses that troubled the Argentinian defense. Everything seemed evenly matched until the 28th minute when defender Wesley Pincince, who had already received a yellow card, committed a foul off the ball against Argentine full-back Rodrigo Lugrin, resulting in his expulsion by Chilean referee Francisco Moyano. 

Protests continued from the American bench and then came the second expulsion of Kevin McCandlish. This not only left the North American team at a numerical disadvantage but also disrupted their concentration, which Cristian Billordo took advantage of in the 30th minute with a great shot to open the scoring for Argentina. 

In the second half, Argentina focused on controlling the ball without desperation, relying on wearing down the Americans physically until, in the 39th minute, a surprising long-range shot from Carlos Carrizo left goalkeeper Boyle with no chance for the two-nil. 

The United States made several changes, and in the 60th minute, Bradley narrowed the gap for a thrilling finale. 

"Despite the loss to Brazil, we were convinced that we could beat the United States. Although the expulsions helped us, we were better throughout the entire match, and fortunately, I was able to score the goal that I missed in the debut," said Billordo, the scorer of the second goal. 
 

Written by Rodrigo Vargas; translated by Pía Barriga Ferry / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport 
Ph: Jonnathan Oyarzún / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport