USA Vs Mexico Concacaf Nations League Final Match Preview (1 Viewer)

[Lady In Red]

In the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League final, the USA will once again face off against Mexico, marking their second encounter in three editions of the tournament. The final showdown is scheduled for this Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

The USA clinched their spot in the final with a thrilling 3-1 victory in extra time, maintaining their streak of reaching the tournament's final for the third consecutive time. Meanwhile, Mexico secured their place in the final with a comfortable 3-0 win over Panama.

The US team's hopes of securing a third successive Nations League title are still alive, thanks to an own goal from Cory Burke that leveled the match against Jamaica deep into stoppage time before they dominated in the final 30 minutes. This dramatic late goal echoes back to Ricardo Clark's winner in the 97th minute of a friendly against Venezuela in January 2012.

Despite conceding an early goal in their semi-final match on Thursday, which marked the fourth time they've done so in the first minute of a game, the US team showed resilience by bouncing back and securing a result in each instance, including three victories.

Before Greg Leigh's early goal in the semi-final, the US had kept a clean sheet in five consecutive Nations League matches on home soil. Under Gregg Berhalter's leadership, the team has been triumphant in their last three appearances in the final of either the Nations League or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In recent head-to-head matchups, the US has dominated Mexico, remaining unbeaten in their last six meetings, including a thrilling 3-2 victory in extra time in the inaugural Nations League final. However, Mexico demonstrated their strength by defeating Panama in the semi-final, indicating they are still a formidable team in the region under Jaime Lozano's guidance.

Despite their impressive performance in the semi-final, Mexico has struggled with consistency in recent months, failing to win consecutive matches since the 2023 Gold Cup. However, they have shown resilience in Nations League finals, winning their last four matches when scoring the opening goal and keeping clean sheets in all of those victories.

Mexico's last victory against a North American opponent dates back to the 2021 Gold Cup semi-finals, where they defeated Canada 2-1 with a late second-half goal from Hector Herrera. It has been over four years since they last defeated the US on American soil, securing a 3-0 win in a 2019 friendly at MetLife Stadium.

INJURIES & SUSPENSION​

Sergino Dest is set to make his comeback after serving a suspension due to a red card, with Joe Scally filling in at right-back during Thursday's match. Additionally, Tim Weah made his first appearance in this season's Nations League.

In the victory over Jamaica, Weston McKennie marked his 50th cap, Antonee Robinson reached his 40th, and Christian Pulisic led the team as captain for the 20th time, matching Clint Dempsey for the ninth-highest number of captaincies in team history.

During the semi-final, Haji Wright replaced Weah just after the hour mark and made history by becoming the first substitute in the program's history to score multiple goals in a knockout match. Gio Reyna also showcased his skills by providing two assists, a feat he has accomplished only once before in his national team career.

In the Mexican squad, three new players were included in the starting lineup compared to their previous match against Honduras. Guillermo Ochoa, Julian Araujo, and Julian Quinones took the places of Luis Malagon, Jorge Sanchez, and Hirving Lozano.

Edson Alvarez reached a milestone of 75 caps with the national team this week, while Carlos Rodriguez is nearing 50 caps with just two more appearances. Santiago Gimenez has the chance to reach 25 caps this weekend, and Jesus Gallardo is closing in on 100 caps, currently standing just three shy of the mark.

The Mexicans secured a comfortable victory in the semi-final, with goals from Edson Alvarez, Quinones, and Orbelin Pineda, while Ochoa made five crucial saves to secure a clean sheet.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS​

USA possible starting lineup:
Turner; Dest, Ream, Richards, A. Robinson; Adams, Musah, McKennie; Reyna, Pepi, Pulisic

Mexico possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Aguirre, Montes, Vasquez, Gallardo; Pineda, Alvarez, Chavez; Antuna, Martin, Quinones

EXPERT PREDICTION​

TAP TO SEE OUR PREDICTION

USA 2-1 Mexico

At times, the Yanks might appear sluggish on the field, but they have a knack for rallying when it counts. We've seen someone stepping up for them time and again, and we're confident that their deep attacking lineup and the psychological advantage they hold over Mexico will carry them to their third consecutive Nations League title.