Mexico tops USA in Gold Cup final as Pochettino decries ‘embarrassing' penalty no-call

The Guardian

20 hours ago

Mexico won the country's 10th Gold Cup title, successfully defending the trophy they won in 2023 with a 2-1 win over the United States in front of a raucous, pro-Mexico crowd in Houston, Texas on Sunday.
West Ham midfielder Edson Álvarez scored the decisive goal in the second half, heading home the winner after the ball deflected off the head of John Vásquez. Álvarez's goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR intervened and determined that he was level with the last defender at the time Vásquez made contact, sparking jubilant celebrations on the field and in the stands.
It also sparked an argument on the sideline from head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was incensed that a penalty had not been given at the other end 10 minutes earlier. In that play, Mexico defender Jorge Sánchez put his hand on the ball while falling after making a tackle on Max Arfsten's run into the penalty area.
'For sure it's penalty... he pushed the hand over the ball,' Pochettino told reporters afterward. 'It's not that the hand was on the floor & the ball touched.'
Pochettino also insinuated that the officials were swayed by the pro-Mexico crowd.
'The truth is if that happened in the opposite half, in the other box, for sure it's a penalty,' he said. 'Maybe it's 2-1 for us and maybe we're celebrating the trophy. I think that is clear. It's not about to cry, it's not about to complain, it's not about to put excuses … For me, it was embarrassing to see that situation and it's a shame. Because I understand that with 70,000 people, giving this penalty is not easy.'
For the US, the loss brings to an end an uneven month, as a decidedly second-choice group of players at first looked below the standard in friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland, then played better once the Gold Cup began and gained momentum throughout the tournament.
The team has had some players make a case for inclusion on next year's World Cup roster – namely midfielders Malik Tillman and Diego Luna – while others like defender Chris Richards stepped up effectively into leadership roles. However, the loss will be viewed as something of a disappointment, as it is the United States' final competitive game before kicking off the 2026 World Cup at home.
In truth, the result wasn't quite as close as the scoreline makes it appear. Mexico took 16 shots (eight on target) to the USA's six and three. El Tri held possession 60% of the time, and earned 12 corners while holding the United States to zero of them.
Richards opened the scoring early on with a header off a set piece that seemed to catch everyone, including the US, by surprise. Richards' header came after the Crystal Palace defender swooped low between Mexico defenders and redirected the Sebastian Berhalter set piece with an upward motion. The ball clanged off the crossbar and bounced off the turf – over the line, in the estimation of the assistant referee and the VAR.
The US had the advantage and momentum. They would spend the vast majority of the rest of the match hanging on for dear life.
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Mexico responded by piling the pressure on the US, confronting attacks with physical challenges that only occasionally earned foul calls. The US, whose only entry into the Mexico penalty area early on came on their goal, could scarcely get out of their own half.
The pressure paid off for Mexico in the 27th minute, when Raúl Jiménez netted the equalizer off a nice finish after a complete defensive breakdown from the US. From a tight angle in the penalty area and with Tim Ream fast approaching, the Fulham striker did well to launch a stinging strike past Matt Freese and into the roof of the net to make things 1-1. Jiménez's celebrations were tinged with a tribute, as the striker produced a jersey with the name of Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who was tragically killed along with his brother in a car accident last week. Jiménez and Jota were team-mates at Wolves from 2018 to 2020, and with the jersey laid in front of him, Jiménez sat on the pitch and mimed playing a video game – one of Jota's signature celebrations.
The pressure continued for Mexico, as did the wholesale domination of possession. 'Olé's rang through the crowd as early as the 30th minute as El Tri sprayed passes around. In the few instances when the US were able to get out on the break, the combination of Patrick Agyemang and Malik Tillman were out of sync more often than not.
The US had one glimmer of hope at the end of the first half – a chaotic sequence just before the half-time whistle in which right-back Alex Freeman got on the end of a hopeful long-ball and won a header at goal, but only managed to hit the face of the onrushing Mexico goalkeeper Luis Malagón. The first half ended with Mexico holding a 5-0 edge in corner kicks, a 10-2 advantage in interceptions, and 298 passes to the USA's 162.
That trend continued in the second stanza. Roberto Alvarado missed a close chance at the near post in the 51st minute, then again in the 56th. By the 76th minute, Mexico had their breakthrough.