🔥 The 3️⃣ key players in the Mexico v Honduras semi-final
Raúl Jiménez
Raúl Jiménez gave Mexico the victory against Honduras and secured their place in the Gold Cup final. Additionally, the Mexican forward scored the national team's 1000th goal in official competitions. MVP of the match!
Gilberto Mora
At 16 years old, Gilberto Mora made history tonight. The player assisted Raúl Jiménez in the Aztec team's victory and also became the youngest assist provider in Gold Cup history.
Edrick Menjívar
The Honduran goalkeeper became the hero of the night, as his incredible saves stopped Mexico's attack and prevented a more lopsided defeat on the scoreboard.
Advertisement
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
📸 PATRICK T. FALLON - AFP or licensors
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Pochettino delivering hope - or panic - to US?
Mauricio Pochettino has lost five of his 15 games in charge of the US [Reuters] Mauricio Pochettino's start to life as head coach of the United States men's national team has not been as convincing as he and the fans would have liked, but a promising run in this summer's Gold Cup might have begun to turn things around. A win against Mexico in Sunday's final would deliver a trophy and start the process of instilling some much-needed belief. Advertisement It's a victory that Pochettino and his players need if they are to demonstrate that things are moving in the right direction before a World Cup on home soil next summer. By now, the US should have some clarity in their preparations for the 2026 tournament, but there remains an unfinished, rocky feel to the foundations they have been laying since Pochettino took over in September 2024. Questions were being asked of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St-Germain boss following consecutive defeats by Panama and Canada in the Nations League finals, and Turkey and Switzerland in Gold Cup warm-up games. Though they were only friendlies, those last two losses had USMNT (United States Men's National Team) fans worried. Advertisement These games, more so than those against regional opponents, are seen as the type of test they will face in the World Cup - and they failed both. With the big tournament less than a year away and only one more competitive game to play, it can be easy to slip into a last-minute panic. There has been a lack of consistency in both personnel and results. The squad appears unresolved, with the group of players called up differing for each camp, something that has mostly been beyond Pochettino's control. Fifty-five players have made appearances for the USA under the Argentine since he was appointed 10 months ago, making it difficult to build momentum and togetherness. Advertisement Mixed results across those 15 matches have reflected this inconsistency and during this time, they are yet to claim victory against a team in the top 30 of Fifa's rankings. An encouraging Gold Cup Goalkeeper Matt Freese and forward Malik Tillman have impressed during the United States' run to the final [Reuters] The Gold Cup is Concacaf's Euros and Copa America equivalent. Sunday's final against Mexico is the United States' last competitive match before the World Cup, which explains the sense of urgency going into it. Pochettino's side have experienced a promising campaign despite missing some key players. Their presence in the final reflects that progress. It has been a bonding experience for the players involved, but it's likely the XI that starts their first World Cup game in Inglewood next June will look significantly different. Advertisement Due to a combination of injury, the Club World Cup and fatigue, this current squad is without familiar names such as Fulham's Antonee Robinson, Juventus pair Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah, AC Milan duo Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic and Monaco striker Folarin Balogun. Star man Pulisic's decision to rest this summer rather than take part in the Gold Cup was particularly controversial given the context of building for next year's home World Cup. The players Pochettino has been able to call upon have developed into a useful unit as the tournament has progressed and it's the most together and determined a US group has looked since he took over. He might wish this togetherness could have been created with his first-choice group but, on the other hand, it has given him a good chance to test fringe players in a competitive, high-pressure environment with a trophy on the line. Advertisement Some of this contingent have made a good case for inclusion in next summer's 26-man squad. Diego Luna has long been touted as a player with the potential to offer the United States something they've been missing. The 21-year-old energetic playmaker, who plays his club football for Real Salt Lake in MLS, has come into his own in the Gold Cup as one of this team's star players. In goal, Matt Freese, of Manchester City's US relative New York City, has been given the nod ahead of Nottingham Forest's Matt Turner all tournament and, bar one mistake against Haiti, has pushed for inclusion at the World Cup. Freese's penalty shootout heroics in the quarter-final against Costa Rica gave him a tournament highlight, doing his chances of a 2026 call-up no harm at all. Advertisement Elsewhere, midfielder Jack McGlynn, who was also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland, has showcased his talent on the international stage, Bayer Leverkusen-linked Malik Tillman has impressed in a role just off the striker, and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards has strengthened his claim for a starting centre-back role. Regardless of what happens against Mexico, this Gold Cup has been a useful experience and a productive exercise - but there's an argument it needed to be more. Sooner rather than later, Pochettino needs to turn this work in progress into a fully prepared first-choice team. Preparing to play host If the Club World Cup is a World Cup warm-up for the US in an organisational sense, the Gold Cup is a warm-up for what they will look like as a host nation in terms of how its team plays and how it is supported. Advertisement Research from renowned US outlet Soccer America revealed that group-stage attendances have dropped compared to recent editions but, though disappointing, this isn't necessarily a sign of things to come at the World Cup. The clash with the Club World Cup, the absence of familiar stars and ticket pricing issues across the game will have affected turnout but the semi-final in St Louis against Guatemala was sold out. Guatemala had plenty of support too and at times it felt like it was their home game. Pochettino, 53, believes they can serve as an example for US fans. "[That] connection between the fans and the team, that is the connection that we'd like to see in the World Cup," he said. "That connection that makes you fly." Advertisement The United States doing well and encouraging sports fans to connect with its men's team during 2026 feels more important for US soccer than merely hosting the World Cup. The Gold Cup has been something of a tonic for Pochettino and the USMNT but the Mexico game is a similar test to those they failed to pass against Turkey and Switzerland. This moment cares not for the profile of the competition nor the strength of the squad available to Pochettino. It cares about lifting the trophy. Win, and they'll have met expectations in an impressively resolute fashion while missing some familiar stars. Lose, and the pre-World Cup panic will return.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Titans 53-Man Roster 2025: The most concerning story nobody is giving enough attention, and glaring proof for OL optimism
Titans 53-Man Roster 2025: The most concerning story nobody is giving enough attention, and glaring proof for OL optimism originally appeared on A to Z Sports. Before you decide that offensive line talk is boring and click away, what if I told you the most important questions for the Tennessee Titans in 2025 pertain to just a handful of these big boys? Advertisement This is the interior offensive line portion of an ongoing article series, breaking down the Titans projected 53-man roster one position at a time. So far we've covered quarterbacks, Kalel Mullings' role, Tyjae Spears' most important season ever, and Tony Pollard's potential ceiling. In this installment, we have to ask the question that most are ignoring about Lloyd Cushenberry. Then, I want to explain why you should be higher on the Titans OL depth, a very important thing, than you are. Let's dive in: Offensive Tackles JC Latham Dan Moore John Ojukwu Cut: Jaelyn Duncan, Olisaemeka Udoh, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson Advertisement Guards Peter Skoronski Kevin Zeitler Jackson Slater Blake Hance Cut: Andrew Rupcich, Chandler Brewer Centers Lloyd Cushenberry Corey Levin Cut: Sam Mustipher, Brenden Jaimes The Cushenberry Question We may look back in a couple of months on C Lloyd Cushenberry as the most under-discussed story of the offseason. The highly-paid 2024 free agent acquisition went down in Week 9 against the Patriots with a torn Achilles. That ended his season on November 3rd. Week 1 of the 2025 season is September 7th in Denver, which will be just over 10 months post-injury. And while that's within the predictive range for return to play, an Achilles injury is amongst the most finicky. So much of the concern we used to have for major injuries has been minimized or erased completely by the miracles of modern sports medicine. When a guy tore his ACL 40 years ago, there was a decent chance it could end his career. Today, we say 'see ya next season'. Advertisement But the Achilles is one we still haven't quite mastered. Some studies indicate as few as 1/3 of athletes return to the level of play they achieved before tearing an Achilles. And as many as 1/3 end up retiring. Those aren't great odds! So is it time to panic over Cushenberry? Well, there's some important context here to consider. Achilles injuries are most common in older players, so a good number of those who end up retiring are sometimes nearing the twilight of their career already. Cushenberry is a spritely 27 years old, so he's a bit of a different case than, say, 40 year old Aaron Rodgers tearing his. He is also, by all accounts, progressing well on schedule to try to play in Week 1. So maybe he'll be one of the success stories! I just think everybody needs to brace themselves for a couple of uncomfortable outcomes. There's a decent chance he's not ready for Week 1, and perhaps beyond. There's also a decent chance that whenever he does come back, he takes time to return to a high level of play. Perhaps it's a couple weeks. But it could easily be a couple months. How often do we point to 'the year after the year' with injuries, especially in hindsight? Depth… A Sneaky Bright Spot? So what happens if Cushenberry can't be your guy for a while? What happens if any of these starters on the line go down, for that matter? Well, it's not great news. But in the NFL these days, it never is. Advertisement The Titans have legitimately serviceable interior OL depth if Cushenberry needs time, or 35 year old Kevin Zeitler gets banged up, or even if Peter Skoronski suffers an untimely injury. They have the bodies to weather the storm. C Corey Levin is the change I made in this depth chart projection, and it's because of the way his coaches talked about him. Listen to this from Coach Callahan at the podium: 'The guy that I really think deserves some public praise is, Corey Levin, with Lloyd (Cushenberry III) being out, we brought Corey back to be able to run the show and Corey's a veteran player. He is a savvy, scrappy, intelligent interior guy that's really helped us run our offense over the course of the offseason without Lloyd. Really, really pleased with what he's done for us. Really happy that we have him because he's very capable and he started games for us at the end of the year last year and he started the games in his past. I've been very pleased with his performance. Again, if that guy is a depth piece, then that's fantastic for us.' Well, that's about as clear cut as it gets. Hand up, I was an idiot for leaving him off my initial projection. Should've known better. He's not the only guy that elicits confidence, though. The other change I made on this projection was moving Blake Hance to the list of guards. It's hard to say what Hance will be for Tennessee yet. I thought he was being brought in to compete for the primary swing tackle position. But the last time he played significant tackle snaps was a while ago. When we asked his coaches about him, they indicated they're working him in at every position on the line. So maybe he'll just be their 6th lineman, no matter the position? August will clarify that for us. But they're happy to have him in the fold too. Then there's rookie Jackson Slater, who I'm high on to develop into a starting guard in 2026. If he needs to be tapped before then in a backup role, I think he'll be able to handle that. Advertisement At tackle, the picture is much murkier. Hance could be that guy. So could John Ojukwu, who I wrote more about in the tackle edition of this series. And then there's rookie Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, who I'm intrigued to see in pads. He ran the SEC gauntlet of pass rushers pretty cleanly last year, that's all I'm saying! All told, I'm pretty pleased with where the depth of this unit is as compared to last year. I remember when we were discussing guys like Ojukwu and Duncan as OL6/7. Now, we're talking about them as fringe roster guys at OL9/10. That just about sums up the progress I think they've made here. Related: By playing less, the Titans' best offensive player last season could unlock an even higher gear with Cam Ward in 2025 Related: Boom or bust season for Titans running back in 2025 who has one last shot to insert himself into Tennessee's future plans Related: Titans rookie looks to be the successful version of a Mike Vrabel Era failed experiment as a roster lock in 2025 View the original article to see embedded media. This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Titans 53-Man Roster 2025: Why a career year for Calvin Ridley should be the expectation with the Cam Ward connection in Year 2
Titans 53-Man Roster 2025: Why a career year for Calvin Ridley should be the expectation with the Cam Ward connection in Year 2 originally appeared on A to Z Sports. Calvin Ridley means everything to the Tennessee Titans offense, especially at the beginning of the 2025 season. But that means he needs a much hotter start than he had last fall. Advertisement This is the third WR installment of an ongoing article series, breaking down the Titans projected 53-man roster one position at a time. Here's what we've covered so far, in case you've missed it: In this one, we'll break down how quickly the Ridley-Ward connection can gel, and then just how dynamic it could become. Wide Receivers Calvin Ridley Van Jefferson Elic Ayomanor Chimere Dike Tyler Lockett Bryce Oliver Xavier Restrepo Cut: James Proche, Colton Dowell, Treylon Burks, Jha'Quan Jackson, Mason Kinsey, TJ Sheffield Ridley's Monster Potential There are two questions to answer here: Will Cam Ward and Calvin Ridley be a dynamic duo, and if so, then just how dynamic can they be? Let's take this one question at a time. As to whether or not Ward and Ridley will click, the jury remains out until training camp. But what I can say is that the number 1 talking point with Ridley and Levis from last summer has already been turned on its head by Ridley and Ward in spring practice. See, last summer Ridley was new to the Titans. Levis wasn't new to the team but was certainly new to getting the starter's share of practice reps. And even on his best days passing in practice, there was something missing from his connection with Ridley downfield. Advertisement Calvin is a dynamic receiver who can win from any alignment. But his calling card is his speed, and his ability to take the top off of any defense is something the Titans rightfully want to use as much as possible. But whenever he and Will worked on perfecting their connection last summer, they never quite managed to get on the same page. We scrutinized everything: does Levis throw too flat of a deep ball? Does his arm strength hurt him on these passes? Does his accuracy just decline downfield? Is Calvin simply so much faster than the other receivers that he's difficult to adjust the timing of the throw for? Whether those practice hiccups were the canary in the coal mine for how his season would begin, or just a simple coincidence, we may never know. But in the first month and a half, Ridley was a relative non-factor. In the first six games he averaged 2 receptions and 30.5 yds/game, scoring just one touchdown. in Weeks 3-5, he had 2 total catches for 14 yards! It was really frustrating for all involved, and it wasn't for lack of trying to get him the ball; he was targeted 14 times during that stretch. 1 yard/reception over a three week span for you WR1 is completely dysfunctional football. But he finished the year clearing the 1K mark anyways. In fact, excluding his 2021 season where he only played five games before stepping away from football for a while, Ridley has put up three consecutive (full) seasons of 1000+ yards. He just barely reached that mark in both 2023 and 2024, clearing it by a combined 33 yards. Another worthwhile note from 2024 is that he ended up having the highest yards per route run of his career at 15.9. A ton of his production came deep down the field and late in the season. And that's where the Titans are looking for him to pick up where he left off, hopefully even finding another gear with an upgrade at QB. When we spoke with Calvin during spring practices, he told us he's much more comfortable in this system heading into Year 2. It's a lot less thinking and adjusting for him. And as for his burgeoning connection with Cam Ward, it's been tangibly different how much smoother they feel together so far. It's still very early, and the pads haven't come on yet. But this time last year, Levis to Ridley looked hard. And right now, Ward to Ridley looks easy. Hopefully these positives manifest on the field at the same or better clip that he was playing at in the final 11 games of the year. That's when he seemingly got his sea legs in this offense, averaged 76 yds/gm with a much better completion percentage than he began the year with. Advertisement If he produces at exactly that level for a full year, that's a 130 target, 1300yd season. Given all the expected variables, from the Cam bump in QB play, to a higher volume of passing in the offense, to improved general offensive production, to the uncertainty with the rest of the WR room... I don't think that stat line is too lofty an expectation at all. Year 2 should be a big year for Ridley as a Titan. Good thing, because the team needs it to be. Related: Dolphins trade rumors could open the door for two Titans to be on the trade block following blockbuster Jalen Ramsey trade Related: Titans 53-Man Roster 2025: The WR roster lock you don't know about, the battle for the seventh spot, and the fate of the rest View the original article to see embedded media. This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
