USMNT Supporters Erupt in Outrage After Referee Ignores Crucial Penalty Call in Gold Cup Final Defeat to Mexico

The United States endured a heartbreaking loss in Sunday night's Gold Cup final against Mexico, falling 2–1 after taking an early advantage with a goal just four minutes into the match.

A contentious referee decision during the second half left USMNT supporters furious, as officials denied what appeared to be a clear penalty opportunity for the Americans. In the 67th minute, left-back Max Arfsten was dribbling within the penalty area when Jorge Sanchez dispossessed him, dropping to one knee while intercepting the ball.

As Sanchez attempted to regain his footing and stand up, he unintentionally placed his hand directly onto the ball, which had bounced in front of him following his tackle. The United States naturally appealed for a penalty kick, but the referees ruled the handball was unintentional and chose not to award the spot kick.

Mexico managed to score the winning goal and secure a 2–1 advantage just 10 minutes following this incident.

This scenario bears resemblance to a Premier League incident from 2023, when Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard was falling and made contact with the ball using his hand during his descent. Both the match referee and VAR officials determined it wasn't a penalty due to the unintentional nature of the contact. Subsequently, it was acknowledged that both officials had erred, and a penalty should have been awarded.

In this particular instance, however, Sanchez made no additional movements after touching the ball, which appears to have influenced the referees' decision not to call a penalty.

USMNT supporters expressed their anger over the referees' decision in Sunday's Gold Cup final, turning to social media platforms to voice their frustrations about what many believed should have been awarded as a penalty.