Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada became the first active player in MLS history to appear for Argentina in a World Cup in Wednesday’s 2-0 victory against Poland. The victory ensured the South American power advanced to the knockout rounds.
Almada came on in the 86th minute for Alexis Mac Allister, who scored the first goal. Almada completed all 13 of his passes and created one big chance.
Things didn’t go well for another person with ties to Atlanta United whose team played in the same group as Argentina.
Mexico, led by former Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino, failed to advance past the group stage for the first time since 1978.
Mexico defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 and finished with the same points (4) as Poland. Had Saudi Arabia not scored its goal in the fifth minute of added time, El Tri still would have been eliminated because while the teams had the same number of goals scored and conceded and head-to-head record, the next tiebreaker is number of yellow cards received in the tournament. Poland received fewer than Mexico.
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