Violence & Brawls ·
Four Red Cards, a Torn Shirt and an Early End to a U.S.–Mexico Semifinal
The United States won the June 2023 Nations League semifinal 3-0. Two altercations brought four dismissals; repeated homophobic chanting then cut the match short.
Weston McKennie’s shirt was torn in the scuffle, and he was soon sent off. By the end of the United States’ Nations League semifinal against Mexico in Las Vegas on June 15, 2023, four players had received red cards. The U.S. won 3-0, but repeated homophobic chants from the crowd led referee Iván Barton to end the match early.
Christian Pulisic had scored on either side of halftime at Allegiant Stadium, putting the Americans two goals ahead. For the first, he broke behind Mexico’s defenders and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. For the second, McKennie sent a long pass to Tim Weah, whose cross Pulisic met with his left foot. A sellout crowd of 65,000 watched.
In the 69th minute, César Montes kicked Folarin Balogun as they challenged for the ball. Barton showed Montes a straight red card. Players argued and shoved; McKennie’s jersey was ripped. Two minutes after Montes’s dismissal, McKennie was sent off for placing a hand on Jorge Sánchez’s neck during the confrontation.
Balogun, making his U.S. debut, described the incident afterward from his position on the ground. “The boys told me it was going to be intense, but I’m definitely still shocked by the events,” he said. “I was just on the floor because I was in pain, but when I looked up I just saw so many people around and I knew my teammates were just trying to defend me.”
B.J. Callaghan, in his first game as U.S. interim coach, defended his players’ response. “These are rivalry games. These are derby games. Things like this happen across the world and in no way am I embarrassed,” he said. He described the players as standing up for one another, while also acknowledging that there were moments both teams could have handled better.
The scoring continued between the confrontations. Ricardo Pepi, who replaced Balogun, took a pass from Sergiño Dest, rounded Ochoa and scored in the 79th minute. Then Dest and Gerardo Arteaga shoved each other in a separate altercation and were both sent off. The dismissals left each team with nine players. McKennie and Dest were suspended for the final against Canada. “It’s definitely a blow,” Weah said.
The chanting brought a different intervention. Barton paused play in the 90th minute. Concacaf said officials had activated its anti-discrimination protocol and that security staff ejected several fans for unacceptable behavior. The confederation condemned the discriminatory chanting by some fans; Callaghan said it had “no place in the game.”
When play resumed, officials signaled 12 minutes of stoppage time. The chants resumed too. With roughly four of those minutes still remaining, Barton ended the match.