Mexico and the USA face off in the 2019 Gold Cup final. Here, we take a look at some of the more memorable games in recent history.
As everyone anticipate, the USA and Mexico will face each other in Chicago, at Soldier Field, in the Gold Cup final. Both teams enter the final in a similar trajectory with neither truly convincing in the knock-out rounds.
There are plenty of storylines entering the match. Mexico want to demonstrate that they still are the measuring stick when it comes to CONCACAF. They are in the middle of a rebuilding process under new manager, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who took over from Juan Carlos Osorio after the 2018 World Cup.
Martino got off to a strong start but Mexico’s performances throughout the Gold Cup have declined. He is without a lot of Mexico’s stars such as Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez, and Hector Herrera, to name a few. The former Atlanta United manager is making do with he has at his disposal and despite suffering a few scares, has Mexico in the final in his first official tournament in charge.
On the other side, the USMNT are coming off a tumultuous World Cup cycle. A cycle under Jürgen Klinsmann and Bruce Arena that saw the US miss out on the World Cup held in Russia for the first time in a long time. They went a year with an interim manager before hiring Gregg Berhalter.
Berhalter’s start has been a bit more rocky; losing consecutive friendly games prior to the start of the Gold Cup. The possession-based, attacking style, that he promised to play when he was introduced has yet to be seen on the pitch.
This latest iteration of the rivalry has a lot to live up to. These two teams have met in previous Gold Cup finals and have had tough match-ups during the qualifiers. The quality of the games is up to one’s taste, but always something happens that leaves a mark on those who watch it.