Here. We. Go.
The final that everyone expected is finally here, as the US men's national team takes on Mexico for the Gold Cup Sunday evening. What happens in Vegas certainly won't stay in Vegas – this result will reverberate throughout the region and be the latest chapter in a fierce rivalry.
This is the second continental championship between the bitter rivals in the span of fewer than two months, with the USMNT celebrating an epic 3-2 extra-time Nations League win in Denver on June 6. A World Cup qualifier is on the horizon in November, but all eyes will be on a sold-out Allegiant Stadium for the seventh Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s showdown.
When
- Sunday, August 1 | 8:30 pm ET
Where
- Allegiant Stadium | Paradise, Nevada
How to watch and stream
- FS1, Univision, TUDN
What to know: United States
The road to Las Vegas was a tough one for the United States to navigate, with Gregg Berhalter’s squad earning four 1-0 victories, including both knockout round matches. They topped Group B before edging Jamaica and Qatar to reach their 10th Gold Cup final.
There have been a few revelations along the way, with the central defense combination of James Sands and Miles Robinson impressing. The same is true of right back Shaq Moore and forward Matthew Hoppe, who both scored their first national team goals in the competition.
And then there are the usual suspects, like Sebastian Lletget and Kellyn Acosta in the midfield and Gyasi Zardes up front. That trio should be influential if the USMNT lift the Gold Cup trophy after the final whistle.
What to know: Mexico
The pressure is on Tata Martino and Mexico, as is always the case. Coming off a Nations League Final loss to the USMNT, El Tri are expected to win, entertain while doing so and be buoyed by a partisan crowd.
After opening the tournament with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico reeled off three consecutive wins without conceding until Tajon Buchanan's equalizer for Canada in the semifinals. Hector Herrera found the response to that bit of adversity with a stoppage-time winner, sprinting toward Jonathan dos Santos on the sideline as the entire team honored his father, who died earlier that day.
Dos Santos scored the lone goal that lifted Mexico to a 1-0 win over the USMNT in the 2019 Gold Cup final. It was El Tri’s eighth Gold Cup title.
Mexico hold an all-time edge in Gold Cup finals, winning all but one of the previous six encounters. That lone defeat came in 2007 at Soldier Field, with Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber scoring second-half goals after Andres Guardado put Mexico in front just before halftime.
