Tired Mexico no match for fierce rivals USA
The conclusion to this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup takes place on Sunday evening in a carbon copy of the last occasion in 2019, with hosts USA and Mexico battling it out for continental supremacy at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Whilst the identities of the finalists themselves are predictable, the tournament itself has been anything but. Read our preview here:
Turner on a dime
Both sets of combatants had struggles to book passage to another final showdown. Tournament guests Qatar proved to be more than mere stubborn opposition, and indeed, the outcome only shifted in USMNT's favour after Hassan Al-Haydos' missed spot kick on the hour mark. In truth though, their run to the denouement has relied heavily upon a very solid and reliable rearguard action, marshalled by goalkeeper Matt Turner. The New England Revolution custodian only made his international debut earlier this year, and has conceded just once in the competition (to Martinique). Head coach Gregg Berhalter, cognisant of the effort his charges' adversaries expended, will look to keep things tight in the early exchanges, only allowing the likes of Daryl Dike freedom to strike when he senses fatigue creeping in to the backline.
Uno dos Santos
Héctor Herrera chose an excellent time to make his mark on the competition, breaking Canadian hearts with a winner in the ninth minute of injury time. Make no mistake, El Tri were made to work like never before this summer by the promising Canucks, and the intensity of the encounter could put them at a slight disadvantage from the outset. Jonathan dos Santos, brother of retired international star Gio and scorer of the sole goal in the 2019 final, will line up once again in midfield, looking primarily to break up the passing lanes into the American front three.
No halting Gregg
Berhalter has really shaken off the nadir the men's team had been experiencing, which culminated in missing out entirely on the World Cup in 2018. Though he wasn't able to translate that initially into silverware, he has manoeuvred his troops into having the edge over Mexico. bet365 have odds of 3.25 for a win in 90 minutes, and with it, temporary supremacy in North America.
