United States and Mexico Battle for Gold Cup in Houston
(image via Concacaf.com)
Houston’s NRG Stadium will be the stage for the latest installment of the North American Clasico as the United States and Mexico square off in the Concacaf Gold Cup Final. Both teams are unbeaten in this tournament. The US needed penalties to get by Costa Rica in the quarterfinal and then held on to beat Guatemala in the semis. Mexico also got a one-goal win in their semifinal, beating Honduras 1-0 to book their place in tonight’s final.
When: Sunday, July 6 | 6:06 PM CT kickoff
Where: NRG Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: Fox, Univision, TUDN
Radio: SiriusXM FC, Futbol De Primera Radio
Final Test Run
Tonight’s final will be the last competitive match for both teams before next summer’s World Cup. With the 2026 World Cup here in North America, both the United States and Mexico are already in as host nations and don’t have to go through qualifying. There will be plenty of friendlies between now and then but this is the last match with something on the line. But, does there really need to be something on the line when these two teams play?
Poch’s Finest Hour
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been without many of his key players, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Antonee Robinson. Pochettino has had to put together his best team on the fly here during this tournament, amidst rumors that he is looking at jobs in Europe. With all of that adversity, the Argentine has his team in the final and 90 minutes away from lifting a trophy. Diego Luna and Malik Tillman have taken their chance and stepped up in the absence of some of the American stars. Chris Richards and Tyler Adams will hold down the middle with Matt Freese making a case for himself as the US number 1 with the World Cup looming. This may be a United States team not at its strongest, but Pochettino has them believing and with a chance to now prove the doubters wrong. “We feel proud because to be in the final was the objective, now the next step is to win the final,” Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference. “The final is about winning. The most important thing is to win the trophy.”
Defending the Title
Mexico are back in another Gold Cup Final and are now 90 minutes from defending the title they won two years ago. Javier Aguirre’s side come into this match on the back of four straight clean sheets, having only conceded in their opener of the tournament. Mexico have to be considered strong favorites in this match with stars like Raul Jimenez and Edson Alvarez available and in great form. 16-year-old Gilberto Mora has been the breakout star of this tournament and his assist to Jimenez in the semfinal showed his incredible talent. NRG Stadium should be a pro-Mexico crowd, giving El Tri another advantage. Everything looks to be in Mexico’s favor tonight, now can they deliver? “Finals are there to be won,” Jimenez said in the pre-match press conference. “We have to give it our all. We have to do what we know how to do best. We've improved since the start of the cup, and I think we have the individual qualities, and also the collective strength to clinch the trophy.”
