HARBIN DISTRICT, China — In a pivotal battle both teams had been pointing to at the 2018 World University Championships of American Football, defending champion Mexico rallied to defeat Team USA Football, 19-17, on June 21 at the Harbin University of Commerce, in Heilongjiang.
Reports of the game via Chinese officials at Harbin University of Commerce were sketchy, but it appeared that Mexico scored the winning touchdown “at 7:15 p.m.” Names of any of the players for either team were not mentioned in the report.
Team USA Football, a collection of American college football players representing every college football conference in the country, had trained for this event under the guidance of former University of Toledo coach Tom Amstutz on the Athletes In Action Sports Complex football field in Xenia.
Mexico had held a 13-10 lead at halftime. With the win, the Mexican team remains undefeated with a 3-0 record.
Team USA Football fell to 2-1 and will play Korea in its final scheduled game on Sunday, June 24.
The Americans had defeated Japan by a 42-3 score on June 19, which was originally scheduled as an off day for all five of the teams in the International University Sports Federation-sanctioned international tournament, but tournament officials announced a revision to the 10-day event schedule. It was the third such revision since the tournament began on June 14.
Barring any further schedule changes, Sunday’s final tournament games will pit Team USA (2-1) against Korea (1-3); and Mexico (3-0) against Japan (2-1). Host China (0-5) has a final-day bye.
A Team USA win over Korea, combined with a Mexico win over Japan, would earn the Americans the second-best record in the 10-day tournament.
