Pochettino's Dreams Shattered as Mexico Dominates Gold Cup Final: What Went Wrong?
The United States men's national soccer team understood the significance of claiming victory in the Concacaf Gold Cup championship match, but came up short against Mexico with a 2-1 defeat before a capacity audience exceeding 72,000 spectators in Houston.
Despite the stadium atmosphere heavily supporting El Tri, American supporters made their presence felt with passionate chanting throughout the contest, particularly during the opening phases when Mauricio Pochettino's squad pressed forward with intense attacking play.
The Americans struck first in the third minute through Chris Richards, who converted a well-placed free kick delivery from Sebastian Berhalter with a precise header to give his team the advantage. Though the ball appeared to hit the crossbar before crossing the line, the official awarded the goal without technological confirmation since Goal-line Technology wasn't available at the Gold Cup.
Mexico's response came swiftly, as Raúl Jiménez found the equalizer in the 27th minute to level the score, followed by Edson Álvarez's decisive strike in the 77th minute that clinched the victory and delivered Mexico their 10th Gold Cup championship.
Both nations will now have no further competitive fixtures before the upcoming FIFA World Cup next year.
Below are Sports Illustrated's three key observations from the USMNT's defeat.
Squandered Chance
The USMNT possessed an opportunity to change the conversation surrounding their World Cup prospects with a victory over Mexico on Concacaf's premier stage.
However, during Sunday's encounter, attention frequently turned to the absent players. It became apparent that additional game-changing quality might have provided the necessary edge to secure a different outcome. After initially dismissing discussions about missing stars, the focus returned to those absences, casting a shadow over the positive aspects of their journey to the championship game.
While the tournament featured undeniable highlights, the final tally shows the USMNT defeating only No. 100 Trinidad and Tobago, No. 83 Haiti, No. 58 Saudi Arabia, and No. 106 Guatemala, requiring a penalty shootout to overcome No. 54 Costa Rica before losing to No. 17 Mexico.
The victorious moments offered brief respite this summer following disappointing friendly results against Turkey and Switzerland. Nevertheless, it remained clear that underlying issues within the USMNT continued, and they again failed to deliver in crucial moments against elite opposition.
Moving forward, Pochettino and his squad must evaluate their displays not only against lesser opponents but also versus Mexico, Switzerland, and Turkey to identify necessary adjustments before facing superior competition next summer.
Berhalter Emerges as USMNT's Set Piece Specialist for World Cup
With numerous USMNT star players declaring their unavailability for the Gold Cup, lesser-known players received chances to prove their worth, or as Pochettino stated before the tournament, gain "the opportunity to secure your position."
While multiple players rose to the occasion, none made a greater impression than Sebastian Berhalter. The former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter's son displayed his adaptability, functioning effectively as a ball-carrying defensive midfielder or, as demonstrated in the final, as a right midfielder capable of providing balance.
Though he delivered impressive displays throughout the competition, his finest performance came against Mexico, beginning with a perfectly curved free kick that set up Richards' opening goal, mirroring their connection in the 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
Subsequently, he generated two additional scoring opportunities and completed six passes into the attacking third in a dominant wide performance. He also moved centrally later in the match to enable the fullbacks to join attacks, as illustrated in the tactical map below.
His set-piece expertise emerged as the tournament's standout feature. Given responsibility for dead ball situations, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder generated dangerous chances unlike anything the USMNT has produced in recent memory.
With these abilities, he likely positions himself as a strong candidate for next year's World Cup squad and could potentially earn a starting role, considering the limited success other players like Christian Pulisic have had with set pieces.
World Cup Roster Competition Intensifies
Despite the absence of elite players from this year's Gold Cup squad, performances throughout the team offered insight into how the battle for the 23 or 26-player World Cup roster might develop.
During the tournament and final match, the central defensive partnership of Richards and Tim Ream likely established themselves as the preferred combination moving forward. Simultaneously, Alex Freeman and Max Arfsten delivered notable performances that could earn them roster spots.
Additionally, several midfielders produced significant contributions, with players like Berhalter, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna, and Timothy Tillman demonstrating their potential to play important roles alongside Tyler Adams and other first-choice American talents.
Yet no position presents more fascination or competition following this summer's Gold Cup than goalkeeper, with no clear number one established for the future. Matt Freese distinguished himself as the starter after replacing Matt Turner, while other keepers like Zack Steffen and Patrick Schulte remained sidelined with injuries.
Though the final didn't conclude as the USMNT desired, they certainly gained valuable benefits from the Gold Cup in terms of establishing competitive selection battles for the World Cup roster.