Thoughts on El Tri Femenil's historic win

México put together the most complete performance they’ve put forth in a long, long time and finally beat their northern neighbors. The “dos a cero” chant long thrown into the faces of El Tri varonil fans was taken back by an El Tri Femenil side that was more organized, more disciplined, and took advantage of their chances than their rivals.

It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that a team largely made up of players born outside of México ended a US unbeaten streak within the territory that once belonged to the Republic. Phoenix-born goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras picked up a clean sheet. Chicagoland native Nicki Hernández had the unenviable task of holding down Crystal Dunn, and her pairing with Idahoan María Sánchez ensured Dunn’s night was rather quiet. Starting forward Kiana Palacios is from Orange, about 30 miles east of the stadium Carson, while Diana Ordóñez, who replaced Palacios late in the match, was born in Riverside before moving to Dallas in another territory once belonging to the Republic. And the player who stuck the 2-0 dagger into the US was Mayra Pelayo, whose University of Florida bio page lists her hometown as West Palm Beach.

The win is also an affirmation for México, whose program has improved dramatically in every measurable place for the past few years except for wins when it counted. The bitter failures to qualify for the 2019 and 2023 World Cups are still fresh wounds, and the disappointment at the 0-0 result against Argentina to open the W Gold Cup tournament was palpable. The questions about the mentality of the team, the weight of the shirt, being cursed… those all have been answered tonight.

Also among the casualties of the match should be questions around the validity of Liga MX Femenil. Only three of the players on the Mexican roster don’t play in the league, and only Diana Ordóñez and Reyna Reyes have no experience in the league. The league is worth every single peso that has been invested into it. It always has been because even aside from the results, it has opened the doors to so many possibilities for so many. Young girls on both sides of the border saw the magic that Jacquie Ovalle cast tonight and said “I can do that.” Children and adults alike saw fearless women playing soccer against some of the most recognizable names and faces in the game and beat them.

There will be plenty of post-mortems and finger-pointing in the coming days and weeks from north of the border. The team had already qualified, they were experimenting with lineups, there’s an interim coach… but literally none of that matters. The façade has been shattered. The unbeaten streaks, in California, against Concacaf teams, against México… they’ve all been reset to zero now. A new era of history is upon us. The clean break with the past affords us the unending promise of tomorrow. And we should all be excited for what the next chapter in the history of El Tri Femenil holds.