Soccer-US-Mexico Gold Cup final will see World Cup co-hosts vying for validation
(Reuters) - When the United States and Mexico clash in Sunday's Gold Cup final at NRG Stadium in Houston, far more than regional bragging rights will be at stake — the 2026 World Cup co-hosts desperately need to prove they belong on soccer's biggest stage, with the tournament less than a year away.
The CONCACAF championship clash comes at a crucial time, with both teams having bypassed the challenging World Cup qualifying rounds — as they are already guaranteed a place — that typically prepare teams for football's grandest event.
The stakes feel particularly weighty following setbacks at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Mexico crashed out in the group stage, while the United States fell to the Netherlands in the round of 16.
The historic rivalry between the two North American neighbours has become the defining narrative of the Gold Cup. Of their seven title clashes since its inception in 1991, Mexico has won five.
"El Tri" will aim to extend their dominance and avenge their 1–0 extra-time loss to the U.S. in the 2021 final.
The U.S., meanwhile, are eager to lift the trophy after missing out on a place in the CONCACAF Nations League final following their semi-final defeat to Panama in March.
COMPETITIVE TEST
Mexico's manager, Javier Aguirre, understands what a potential victory would mean for the team.
"Securing the title would give us momentum and show that the work we've done hasn't been meaningless," he told reporters on Thursday. "We've been sharp in training, the group is committed, and there's a strong sense of unity — almost like a family."
Reaching the final represents a notable improvement for the U.S. team under Mauricio Pochettino, who took charge in September and has orchestrated an unexpected journey despite missing around a dozen regulars.
"This roster deserve massive credit to have reached the final," the former Chelsea manager said after Wednesday's 2-1 semi-final victory against Guatemala.
Key absentees include AC Milan's Christian Pulisic, who requested time off, while Juventus' Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, plus Borussia Dortmund's Gio Reyna, were prevented from participating because FIFA prioritised the overlapping Club World Cup.
For Mexican-American forward Diego Luna, who scored both goals against Guatemala, the match will carry special significance.
"Growing up seeing the USA-Mexico games, to be able to play in one would be unreal," Luna told Fox Sports on Thursday.
Sunday's final serves as the ultimate dress rehearsal before both nations take centre stage in the largest-ever World Cup next year - a historic tournament that will span across North America, with Canada as the third co-host.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Motor racing-Brown hails McLaren's 200th win as close to perfect
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - McLaren event in London - Trafalgar Square, London, Britain - July 2, 2025 McLaren chief executive Zak Brown during an interview with Reuters at the McLaren event in Trafalgar Square Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo BUDAPEST (Reuters) -McLaren boss Zak Brown hailed the team's 200th Formula One win, with Lando Norris ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri in a one-two finish in Hungary on Sunday, as close to perfect. The win was Norris's fifth of the season and McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races as well as the team's fourth in a row. "You're never perfect in a race but I think that was as close to perfect as you can get," Brown told Sky Sports television. "The drivers were awesome, pit stops amazing, strategy was great to get Lando up there, Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn't be prouder of this racing team." Norris and Piastri crossed the finish line 0.698 of a second apart, with the pair almost touching when the Australian tried to make a move on his British teammate on the penultimate lap and locked up. Team principal Andrea Stella said it had been 'firm' racing but also fair between rivals now separated by just nine points. "We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar but at the same time Lando left some space because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking," said the Italian. "We keep being very proud of our Lando and Oscar for racing. I think this is a great way of honouring Formula One racing. These are the value of McLaren." Despite celebrating his ninth career win, Norris said he needed to improve because he was making life too hard for himself. He won from third on the grid, after dropping to fifth at the start and then making a one-stop strategy work with Piastri on two. "It's going to be a good and tough battle probably until the end. It takes a lot out of you trying to focus so much for every single session, race, everything. So, it's going be a long second half of the season, I'm sure," he said. "There are those things I need to improve on and want to improve on. I'm not giving myself the best opportunities. Even though the results have looked great, I'm not making my life very easy for myself at the minute. "So if I can work on those things, then I'll be in a better place." McLaren are only the second team to chalk up 200 grand prix wins since the world championship started in 1950. Ferrari, yet to win this season, are on 248. Mercedes, next after McLaren, have 130. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Motor racing-Ferrari feared Leclerc might not finish in Hungary
Formula One F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary - August 3, 2025 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc after the race REUTERS/Marton Monus BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Ferrari feared Charles Leclerc might not finish Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix after the Monegasque, who started on pole position, suffered a dramatic loss of performance after his second pitstop. Leclerc pitted from the lead on lap 40 of 70 and ended up fourth, with teammate Lewis Hamilton 12th in a race won by McLaren's Lando Norris. Team boss Fred Vasseur told reporters that the situation had been "quite strange" after being in control for the first 40 laps. "The last stint was a disaster, very difficult to drive, the balance was not there. Honestly, we don't know exactly what's happened so far," he said. "We have to investigate if there's something broken on the chassis side or whatever. At one stage I thought that we would never finish the race." Leclerc had taken Ferrari's first proper pole of the Formula One season on Saturday, apart from Hamilton's sprint pole in Shanghai in March, and led cleanly away from the start at a circuit where overtaking is difficult. Norris switched from a two-stop strategy to a one-stop, despite McLaren's initial reservations about the tyres lasting, after dropping to fifth on lap one and needing to do something different to teammate Oscar Piastri. Championship leader Piastri had failed to get past Leclerc on strategy but was able to take second and close the gap to Norris after the Ferrari lost speed. "We had to try and do something to beat Leclerc because it wasn't obvious that we just had enough pace to blow past him and go and win that way," said Piastri of a failed attempt to get ahead with an earlier first pitstop. "I don't know what happened to Charles in the second half of the race, but clearly something happened because he looked quite quick for the first half." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Motor racing-Hamilton still down after difficult Hungarian weekend
Formula One F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary - August 3, 2025 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix REUTERS/Marton Monus BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Lewis Hamilton said there was a lot going on in the background after he finished 12th in the Hungarian Grand Prix, a day after calling himself useless and suggesting Ferrari should find a replacement. The seven-times world champion cut a despondent figure, giving only terse replies to media questions about the race and his earlier words, but confirmed he would return after the August break. "I look forward to coming back," he said. "Hopefully, I will be back, yeah." On Saturday Hamilton had told reporters that "it's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless" and said Ferrari "probably need to change driver." Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said Hamilton, the most successful F1 driver of all time but lapped on Sunday, was demanding of everyone but most of all of himself. He said it was a tough situation to be 12th on the grid, at a circuit where he has won a record eight times and been on pole nine, when teammate Charles Leclerc qualified in first place. "I can understand the frustration from Lewis, that this is normal," added the Frenchman. "So we will be back and we will perform. "I don't need to motivate him. Honestly, he's frustrated, but not demotivated. It's a completely different story." Leclerc ultimately finished fourth after leading for much of the race. Hamilton's former Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also spoke out strongly in the 40-year-old Briton's defence, calling his Saturday comments just "Lewis wearing his heart on his sleeve. "It was very raw. It was out of himself and we had it in the past when he felt that he underperformed his own expectations," added the Austrian. "He's been that emotional, emotionally transparent since he was a young boy, a young adult. So he's got to beat himself up. "He's the GOAT (greatest of all time) and will always be the GOAT and nobody's going to take that away." Wolff said also that he was sure Hamilton had unfinished business in Formula One, after losing controversially in 2021 what would have been a record eighth title, and still had what it takes. "He shouldn't go anywhere next year," said the Mercedes boss. "Brand new cars, completely different to drive, new power units... I hope he stays on for many more years and certainly next year is going to be an important one." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
