For the sixth time this century and the second time in the last three CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, the USA and Mexico will face off in the final on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
In the semi-finals, the US secured a narrow 2-1 victory against Guatemala, while Mexico edged out Honduras 1-0.
The US has had a turbulent journey but has reached the Gold Cup final for the third time in four tournaments, aiming for an eighth title.
A win would mark Mauricio Pochettino’s first international trophy as coach, providing redemption after heavy criticism following four straight losses before the tournament. The US has won the Gold Cup in three of their last four final appearances, keeping clean sheets in two of those victories. This decade, they’ve reached the final of major CONCACAF tournaments four times, winning all three prior instances, including the 2021 Gold Cup.
The US has been dominant when leading or tied at halftime, winning their last nine such matches across all competitions, including four instances in this year’s Gold Cup.
While Houston hasn’t been a stronghold for the US, with only one prior win there, they’ve gone 2-0 in Texas during this tournament, beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Austin and Haiti 2-1 in Arlington. Against Mexico, the US has been formidable, winning all four CONCACAF finals against them this decade, including a 1-0 shutout in the 2021 Gold Cup final.
Mexico, meanwhile, overcame a physical semi-final against an aggressive Honduras team, relying on their robust defense. Coach Javier Aguirre, one of only two managers to lead Mexico to multiple Gold Cup finals, previously guided them to the 2009 title.
Mexico has been defensively stellar, posting four consecutive clean sheets in this tournament and allowing the three lowest expected goals ratios, including just 0.10 against Honduras. They’ve also kept five straight clean sheets in Gold Cup knockout stages, matching their record from 1993-1998, and could claim a record 10th title on Sunday.
Mexico’s defense has been exceptional, conceding just 1.6 shots on target per game, the lowest in the tournament. Seven of their eight goals have come in the second half, showing Aguirre’s effective halftime adjustments.
Only twice this century has a team retained the Gold Cup title in the next edition, with Mexico being the last to do so in 2009 and 2011, both times defeating the US.
