Mexico defeats the US for the nation's 10th Gold Cup title
Mexico defeated the United States Men's National Team by a score of 2-1 on Sunday to win the nation's 10th CONCACAF Gold Cup trophy as champions of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The match was the most important match for either team until next year's FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the two fierce rivals, along with Canada.
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The intensity of the occasion was evident from the opening kickoff in front of more than 70,000 screaming fans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Americans seemed to catch Mexico off guard as Chris Richards scored the game's first goal with a scintillating header that ricocheted in off the crossbar on a set piece free kick from Sebastian Berhalter just four minutes into the match to give the USA an instant advantage.
Mexico took command after the USMNT's fast start and dominated for long stretches of a first half in which Mexico enjoyed nearly double the time of possession of the Americans.
El Tri finally found its equalizer in the 27th minute when Raúl Jiménez turned on a pass from Marcel Ruíz and sent it past American goalie Matthew Freese and into the roof of the netting from point blank range to tie the game 1-1.
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After his heroics, Jiménez celebrated by mimicking the trademark celebration of recently deceased Portuguese star Diogo Jota, who was previously a teammate of Jiménez on the English professional team Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the Mexican striker held a Jota jersey across his lap.
As the second half got underway, the two teams exchanged near goals in the early minutes as the momentum of the match teetered on a knife's edge.
The tension continued to build until Mexico released the pressure with a set piece goal to break the deadlock in the 77th minute.
The free kick deflected off the head of Johan Vásquez and a diving Edson Álvarez headed the ball into the corner of the USA goal to give El Tri a 2-1 lead.
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The goal was initially flagged as offside, but a Video Assistant Referee review determined that it was a good goal to put Mexico in front for the first time in the game.
In the second minute of stoppage time, the USMNT came agonizingly close to tying the game, but Mexican keeper Ángel Malagón was able to do just enough to keep Patrick Agyemang's shot out of the goal, and the Mexico defense cleared the ball away.
The Americans were unable to generate another good scoring opportunity before referee Mario Escobar blew the final whistle.
Sunday night's game marked the eighth time that the two neighboring countries have met in the final of this tournament, with Mexico now holding the 6-2 advantage in those games.
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Mexico's second consecutive victory in the tournament extends its CONCACAF-leading tally to 10 Gold Cup crowns all-time, three more than the USMNT's second-place total of seven.
For first-year USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, there's less than a year until the 2026 World Cup, and the former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss will be hoping that the return of some of the top US players will help his squad turn its fortunes.
Christian Pulisic, arguably the best player in the team, drew the ire of Pochettino after he opted to sit out the Gold Cup to rest following a grueling season with Italian Serie A club AC Milan.
Meanwhile, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah both missed the Gold Cup while playing in the Club World Cup with Juventus, while PSV defender Sergiño Dest pulled out of the squad to focus on fully recovering from an ACL injury.
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The USMNT will launch its World Cup campaign on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, while Mexico will play in the first match of the tournament a day earlier at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
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The Nuggets are loaded. — Tony Jones Grade: B The Timberwolves were a second-apron team last season with one of the most expensive rosters in the league. They also had the 17th pick in the draft. Those two details meant they didn't have a bunch of money to spend in free agency, and they didn't have a top-five pick to use as ammunition for a splashy summer that could send their grade skyrocketing. But they did spend $225 million to re-sign Julius Randle and Naz Reid, retaining two crucial pieces of their run to the Western Conference finals. They are also sky-high on the potential of their first-round pick Joan Beringer. They did have conversations with Phoenix about trading for Kevin Durant, but those were abandoned when it became clear KD preferred to be elsewhere. The Wolves' biggest departure was Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who left to sign with Atlanta. The Wolves believe youngsters Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark will help mitigate that loss. It was a solid summer for a team that believes continuity and the continued development of Reid, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels will allow them to remain contenders in a Western Conference that is only getting deeper. — Jon Krawczynski Grade: A When you're the champ, not opting for a makeover is fine. Especially in the case of the Thunder, who deploy one of the youngest rotations in the NBA. Oklahoma City not only chose not to meddle with its core, but also locked up its three stars for the future in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. If you're looking for a cherry on top, pseudo-rookie Nikola Topić played well in summer league. — Joel Lorenzi Grade: C If this offseason was about intrigue and heartstrings, the Blazers would get an A. But when it comes to basketball moves, Portland's summer was a curious and confusing exercise. Signing an injured Damian Lillard healed fans' wounded hearts. The surprise draft of Chinese center Yang Hansen at No. 16 has the look of a fun project, and the trade for aging Jrue Holiday and his $100-plus million contract is palatable if the Blazers were on the cusp of contending … but they are not. How Lillard fits into the Holiday-Scoot Henderson point guard rotation in 2026 is a big question, and so too is how soon Yang can contribute. But no question is bigger than the one left by the trade of Anfernee Simons to Boston: Do the Blazers have enough shooting? — Jason Quick Grade: B I think a lot of people are focusing on having to essentially give Collin Sexton away and allow Jordan Clarkson to walk for nothing in return. And, for sure, it's not ideal that the Jazz didn't get much, if anything, for two good players. But this offseason was about clearing runway for the Jazz to again be one of the worst teams in the league, in order to put themselves in position to keep their pick in the 2026 draft next season. Remember, that pick is owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder, top 8 protected. So, the Jazz have to be one of the worst eight teams in the league next season. And that is what this offseason was about. In that sense, they accomplished that. — Tony Jones Grade: Incomplete The Jonathan Kuminga situation has created quite an offseason logjam for the Warriors, who must get his restricted free agency outcome right if they have any hope of adding another pivotal player down the line. But they might have to re-sign him and wait until the February trade deadline to trade him to fulfill that desire. As such, it's pointless to assess a grade until we know where he's heading (if anywhere) and what they might be able to do as a result. Meanwhile, rumored additions like Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton have yet to be finalized. Boom or bust are still both in play here. — Sam Amick Advertisement Grade: A- The Clippers had two primary issues, one apparent throughout the regular season and another in the postseason. The regular season issue: turnovers, something that limited their offense. The postseason issue: the lack of playable non-center athletic size options, as Nuggets power forward Aaron Gordon ran circles around the Clippers in a seven-game series. They addressed their ballhandling issues with Bradley Beal, who replaces Powell, and Chris Paul, who replaces Patty Mills. They addressed their frontcourt options with John Collins, who replaces Amir Coffey, and Brook Lopez, who replaces Ben Simmons. Their draft picks won't be counted on, but they selected the most athletic center in Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, who replaces Drew Eubanks, and a 6-foot-9 guard in Kobe Sanders, who replaces Seth Lundy. They re-signed James Harden and Nicolas Batum, and Kawhi Leonard is healthy. The only legitimate complaint is that the team is older. But the Clippers are also deeper and better, and that is more relevant than age. — Law Murray Grade: B- The challenge in grading the Lakers' offseason is whether to hold them to the relative scale of what they were trying to accomplish or whether to grade them against the rest of the league — in particular, their rivals in the West. If it's regarding what they were trying to accomplish, it's hard to think of a way they could've done better than Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart without sacrificing draft picks or significant assets. If it's against the rest of the West, you can't say on paper that they kept up with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets or maybe even the LA Clippers. But an offseason isn't just about which players come in and which ones are lost; there's other stuff, too. Luka Dončić's extension (and role in signing Ayton and Smart) bodes well for a long-term relationship between the organization and the star. The ownership sale to Mark Walter at a $10 billion evaluation should eventually give the team every financial tool and then some. The awkwardness with LeBron James is less than ideal, but on the whole, the Lakers got better this summer in more than one way. — Dan Woike Grade: C+ The Suns deserve credit for pulling the plug on a miserable stretch. They made a coaching change, hired a new general manager and overhauled the roster. Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets. Bradley Beal was bought out. Perhaps most important, the Suns got off the second apron, which gives them roster flexibility. Still, it was only a first step. Questions remain. How will a Devin Booker-Jalen Green backcourt work? Can center Mark Williams stay healthy? (Coming off the Beal experience, trading for an injury-prone center was indeed head-scratching.) Can rookie big man Khaman Maluach help anytime soon? Growing pains usually come with change. The Suns may experience some for a while. — Doug Haller Grade: C I was tempted to go with 'Incomplete' here, as the Kings remain engaged on the Jonathan Kuminga front and, as such, could still have a far different offseason than the one we've witnessed thus far. But they have made substantive moves that we can evaluate, chief among them the calculated risk of signing Dennis Schröder (three years, $45 million with a small partial guarantee in the final season). Regardless of how you feel about Schröder — and he's been a mixed bag in recent seasons — the point guard void had to be filled after the previous front office regime traded De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio. First-year general manager Scott Perry was aggressive in landing shooting guard Nique Clifford in the draft, sending a 2027 protected first to Oklahoma City to bring the 23-year-old from Colorado State to town with the 24th pick. (He earned first-team All-Summer League honors.) All in all, it's going to take Perry a while to clean up this messy roster. — Sam Amick Grade: A Mavericks fans have reason to hope again. The team lucked into the No. 1 pick and selected Cooper Flagg, and the 18-year-old Newport, Maine, native is expected to be a monster. He impacts the game in so many ways. Dallas has enjoyed some smaller wins, too. Convincing Kyrie Irving to decline his $43 million player option for next season and re-up on a new deal gave the Mavericks access to the taxpayer midlevel exception, which they used to sign D'Angelo Russell. Daniel Gafford's extension ($54.4 million over three years) was another piece of good business. — Christian Clark Grade: A The acquisition of Kevin Durant by a 52-win team without cratering depth was enough to cap a strong Rockets offseason, but the veteran additions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela on team-friendly contracts put Houston in rare summer air. The organization was also able to retain key rotational members Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and Jabari Smith Jr. without handcuffing themselves financially — and the Rockets now stand as arguably the deepest team in basketball. This team has shifted from a patient rebuild to an aggressive championship push in fewer than three seasons and now has the personnel to play any style that head coach Ime Udoka wants, any time. Houston's time is now. — Kelly Iko Grade: B The Grizzlies' offseason was a setup for whatever comes next, thanks to a draft-pick bounty from the Desmond Bane trade and a rebalanced cap sheet. Even with Jaren Jackson Jr.'s expensive extension, Memphis is $21 million below next summer's projected first apron and will hope the Suns' ineptitude delivers a high lottery pick. The Grizzlies likely overpaid for Cedric Coward on draft night, but they got value in Ty Jerome's contract and their return on Bane. Can Tuomas Iisalo coach? Is there a starting center here? Grading this offseason is tough because it's a wait-and-see process. — John Hollinger Advertisement Grade: D The Pelicans' stunning draft-day trade that sent their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks has been a consistent source of conversation for the last few weeks — and it's not just because of the tremendous risk New Orleans is taking by accepting such a deal. Despite constant concerns over Zion Williamson's health issues and an inexperienced roster, New Orleans' front office expects the Pelicans to make a playoff run in a treacherous Western Conference. Even if you like the Pelicans' rookie additions of Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, the recent news that Queen underwent wrist surgery and will be sidelined for three months adds to the long list of obstacles this team has to overcome. — William Guillory Grade: B+ One of the side effects of Victor Wembanyama's rapid improvement last season was the debate about whether the team needed to accelerate its timeline to start competing as soon as possible. The De'Aaron Fox trade in February fed into that notion, but the Spurs wisely didn't take it too far this summer by trading for Kevin Durant. Getting the No. 2 pick in the draft gave them a clear path to a steadier build-up around their star, and they showed they weren't afraid to be patient when they took Dylan Harper. Selecting Carter Bryant at No. 14 gives them a tough 3-and-D wing to develop in an already-deep rotation. They brought in Luke Kornet for just less than the midlevel exception with a team-favorable structure, giving Wembanyama a steady backup and keeping the locker-room vibes positive as the team starts to face higher expectations. This team is still in an identity-building phase. The Spurs enter the season with an overabundance of downhill driving guards between Fox, Harper and NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, but that's fine. Eventually, they'll see what a fully fleshed-out Wemby looks like and know what he needs around him. — Jared Weiss (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Michael Reaves, Stacy Revere, Chris Gardner / Getty Images)
