2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Big Boys Through to the Final
by Bradley Gibbs | by Bradley Gibbs
When is the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final?
The CONCACAF Gold Cup Final is due to take place on Sunday evening, with kick off set for 19:00 EST. The game will be played at NRG Stadium, located in Houston, Texas.
This will be the first time that the US have played at NRG Stadium during the tournament, with each of their previous five games being played at other venues. The Mexicans will also be playing in Houston for the first time, with each of their five previous Gold Cup games taking place elsewhere.
How did the teams get here?
The path for the US was mostly easy to follow, though there were a few bumps along the way, especially in the knockouts. Mauricio Pochettino’s men made light work of getting through the group stage. They began their campaign in thunderous fashion, thumping Trinidad & Tobago by five goals to zero, before grinding out a different type of win against tournament invitees Saudi Arabia.
Two wins from their first two games meant that the Stars and Stripes needed nothing from their final group game against the Haitians, but just for good measure, they got the win anyway, coming out on top by two goals to one. Their perfect record would come to an end in the quarter finals, though, with the seven-time Gold Cup winners nearly slipping on a Costa Rica shaped banana skin. Having tied 2-2 in extra time, Pochettino’s players dug deep to pull out a little more quality than their opponents on penalties.
The seemingly simple task of taking on Guatemala in the semi final followed, and it looked as if the tournament hosts were on route to a rather simple win when they surged into a two-goal lead inside 15 minutes. They couldn’t find the killer blow, though, before an 80th minute Guatemala goal halved the deficit and paved the way for a nervy final minutes. Fortunately, the US got over the line.
For the Mexicans, a place in the final never really looked in doubt. There were a few teething problems as they beat the Dominican Republic by three goals to two on matchday one, but since then, Javier Aguirre’s men have looked solid. Ahead of this final, they have kept four clean sheets in a row, beating Suriname in second gear, before tying 0-0 with Costa Rica in a game that meant nothing.
In the knockouts, first up was Saudi Arabia, who failed to ever really land a glove on a well-drilled Mexico team that followed up by beating Honduras in similarly sturdy fashion. From a US point of view, Mexico’s apparent defensive solidity should be worrying, especially as the Stars and Stripes have wobbled at the back in their last couple of games.
Familiar foes meet in the final once again
Before a ball was even kicked at this tournament, most people expected the US and the Mexicans to meet in the final. Most people were right.
We’re talking about the big guns in the Gold Cup region. These are the two most successful nations in CONCACAF Gold Cup history, with the US scooping the prize seven times. The Mexicans have achieved continental glory on no less than eight occasions. Can the US tie level and become the joint most successful nation in the region? Or will El Tri give themselves some breathing space as the most dominant nation?
This will also be the eighth time that the pair have clashed in the final of this competition. They last shared the final stage back in 2021, when the US emerged victorious in extra time. After a 0-0 tie in regulation. Two years before that, the Mexicans beat the US by a goal to zero in the final.
In terms of their head-to-head record in Gold Cup finals, it’s the Mexicans that lead the way. See below for a breakdown of previous Gold Cup finals between Mexico and the US.
1993 - Mexico 4 - 0 USA
1998 - Mexico 1 - 0 USA
2007 - USA 2 - 1 Mexico
2009 - Mexico 5 - 0 USA
2011 - Mexico 4 - 2 USA
2019 - Mexico 1 - 0 USA
2021 - USA 1 - 0* Mexico
*result after extra time.
Who are the dangermen?
OK, so who are the players that can bring the heat on Sunday evening in Houston? Well, both teams have numerous operators capable of stepping forward and delivering match-winning performances, though I’ve decided to focus on the following two.
Malik Tillman
Diego Luna stole the headlines during the previous round, and rightly so, with the RSL dynamo scoring not once but twice, and he will continue to be an important part of the jigsaw for Mauricio Pochettino, though if there’s one all-round key player than can make the difference for the US, then it has to be Malik Tillman, who came into this tournament off the back of a super campaign for PSV. His strong form has continued on home soil too.
Tillman sweetly assisted Luna’s second goal last time out, while he was also a goal provider against Costa Rica prior to that. He scored against Haiti and notched twice against Trinidad, meaning that the 23-year-old now has five goals and assists to his name at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He’s absolutely the man to deliver the goods for the Stars and Stripes.
Alexis Vega
Mercurial talent Alexis Vega had a fairly quiet semi final against Honduras, but the fact that he remained on the field for the duration showed that coach Aguirre knows just how influential he can be.
The winger/forward is a game winner, no doubt about that. He’s silky, creative, while he’s no stranger to scoring goals out of nowhere, which is a trait that can be precious when it comes to a final. Mexico’s number ten has a goal and an assist to his name at the tournament so far, while he was instrumental to the quarter-final success against the Saudis. He may just pull the strings once more, and if he does, the Mexicans will be hard to beat.
