Mexico vs. United States - Football Match Report - March 24, 2022 - ESPN

The United States escaped a half-full Estadio Azteca with a gritty 0-0 draw against Mexico on Thursday night and moved into position to all but clinch a World Cup berth with a victory at home against Panama this weekend.

Christian Pulisic had the best U.S. chances but was twice denied by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Zack Steffen got the start over Ethan Horvath and came away with his second shutout against Mexico in qualifying.

El Tri fans booed the home team at the final whistle.

— USMNT draws at Mexico: How social media reacted — CONCACAF standings: Where do the U.S., Mexico stand? — <a href="/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/3860182/2022-world-cup-how-qualifying-works-around-the-world?src=" https: www.espn.com target="_blank">World Cup 2022 qualifying: How it works around the world

The draw, the third straight in qualifying for the U.S. in the thin air of 7,200-foot elevation Azteca, was costly. Defender DeAndre Yedlin and winger Timothy Weah both were given their second yellow cards of qualifying and are suspended for the game Sunday game against Panama at Orlando, Florida, the next-to-last of the region's final round.

The U.S. maintained second place in North and Central America and the Caribbean with 22 points, four behind Canada, and ahead of Mexico on goal difference. With a victory Sunday, the U.S. would ensure that fourth-place Costa Rica could only pull even by winning its final two games.

The U.S. has a plus-nine goal difference, the first tiebreaker, and Los Ticos are plus-two following a 1-0 win over Canada. The U.S. closes on March 30 at Costa Rica, where the Americans have never won in qualifying. The top three nations qualify, and the No. 4 team advances to a playoff, likely against New Zealand.

Panama has 17