The U.S. Men’s National Team’s 2-0 CONCACAF National League final victory against Mexico at Arlington, Texas’s AT&T Stadium, had sad and pathetic consequences for Mexican soccer supporters.
At the end of the game, the homophobic shouts of pro-Mexican supporters were enough to halt the game once the term “puto” came up. Although it means “f****t” in English, the Mexican Spanish term is more accurately translated as a “slur,” meaning “male prostitute.” The shouting resumed, this time targeting U.S. goalie Matt Turner—who happens to be straight—and necessitated another pause in the action.
Many Mexican supporters departed AT&T Stadium during the initial wait, which lasted almost five minutes. At the end of the game, there were enough fans to keep the chant going, and play was halted. Disputes erupted in the grandstand as time ran out of the match between Mexican supporters and Americans and some Mexican patrons supporting the U.S.
Because Mexican supporters would not stop chanting, last year’s match between the United States and Mexico was halted before it reached its conclusion, with time left on the clock. After yelling disrupted a 2021 semifinal and final game, the Mexican national team was fined $110,000 and banned from two 2022 World Cup qualifiers for disruptive supporter conduct.
The CONCACAF Nations League final between the United States and Mexico was postponed in the latter stages for the second year running due to homophobic shouts emitted by supporters rooting for Mexico. At AT&T Stadium, 59,471 people saw Sunday night’s final, which the United States won 2-0 thanks to a stoppage in play in the 88th minute by Canadian referee Drew Fischer. A group representing North American and Caribbean football confederations has spoken out against the racist chants heard in the last seconds of the Nations League Final.
