Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

USAvs.Mexico

sportsmole.co.uk, 22 March 2024, 19:30
For the second time in three editions of the CONCACAF Nations League, the USA and Mexico will meet in the final, which will take place this Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

A dramatic 3-1 victory in extra-time enabled the Yanks to advance to the final of this tournament for a third successive occasion, while El Tri had little trouble with Panama, defeating them 3-0.

Match preview

The US dream of capturing three successive Nations League titles remains intact, as an own goal from Cory Burke levelled their match with the Reggae Boyz deep into stoppage time before they took command in the final 30 minutes.

That was the latest stoppage-time goal for this team since Ricardo Clark scored a winner in the 97th minute of a January 2012 friendly with Venezuela.

Thursday was the fourth time the US men's team had conceded a goal in the first minute of a match, but to their credit, they have managed to come back and earn a result in each of those instances, including three victories.

Before Greg Leigh netted in the early stages of their semi-final encounter on Thursday, the US had gone five successive Nations League matches without conceding on American soil.

Gregg Berhalter's men have emerged victorious in each of their last three appearances in the final of either this tournament or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Lately the US have owned the Mexicans in head-to-head matchups, going unbeaten in their last six meetings against them, including a 3-2 victory in extra-time in the inaugural Nations League final.

The Mexicans made a big statement in their semi-final clash with Panama this week, showing they are still a force to be reckoned with in this region.

As a result Jaime Lozano has guided this team back into the final of this tournament for the first time since its inception in 2019-20.

As impressive as El Tri were on Thursday, consistency has not been their strong suit in recent months, with Mexico failing to win consecutive fixtures since the 2023 Gold Cup.

Since squandering an early 1-0 advantage in the 2019-20 Nations League final, the Mexicans have won their last four matches at this tournament when scoring the opening goal and have not conceded in any of those triumphs.

El Tri have not beaten a side from North America since the 2021 Gold Cup semi-finals when a late second-half strike by Hector Herrera gave them a 2-1 victory over Canada.

It has been over four years since they last beat the US in their own backyard, claiming a 3-0 win in a 2019 friendly which took place at MetLife Stadium.

USA CONCACAF Nations League form:

W

L

W

USA form (all competitions):

L

W

W

L

L

W

Mexico CONCACAF Nations League form:

L

W

W

Mexico form (all competitions):

W

D

L

W

L

W

Team News

Sergino Dest is eligible to return from his red-card suspension, as Joe Scally took his place at right-back on Thursday, while Tim Weah made his first appearance of the Nations League this season on Thursday.

Weston McKennie earned his 50th cap in the victory over Jamaica, Antonee Robinson collected his 40th cap and Christian Pulisic captained the team for the 20th time, equalling Clint Dempsey for ninth-most all-time in team history.

Haji Wright replaced Weah just beyond the hour mark of their semi-final, becoming the first substitute in the history of this program to score multiple goals in a knockout match, while Gio Reyna had a pair of assists for only the second time in his national team career.

There were three new faces in the Mexican starting 11 on Thursday who did not begin their second-leg encounter versus Honduras, with Guillermo Ochoa, Julian Araujo and Julian Quinones replacing Luis Malagon, Jorge Sanchez and Hirving Lozano.

Edson Alvarez reached 75 caps with the national team this week, Carlos Rodriguez is two away from 50, Santiago Gimenez can hit 25 this weekend, while Jesus Gallardo is now just three shy of 100.

Goals by Edson Alvarez, Quinones and Orbelin Pineda gave the Mexicans a comfortable semi-final triumph as Ochoa made five stops to collect a clean sheet.

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

We say: USA 2-1 Mexico (extra-time)

The Yanks may look sluggish at times, but someone always seems to step up for them when needed, and we believe their attacking depth and psychological edge over Mexico will propel them to a third straight Nations League crown.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.