
Mexico wins Concacaf Nations League title thanks to Jiménez, gifted PK
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mexico signaled its return to the top of Concacaf Sunday night, beating Panama 2-1 behind two goals from Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez to claim its first Nations League title. The winner came on a stoppage-time penalty, with Panama defender José Córdoba gifting the spot kick to Mexico by diving in his own box with his arm outstretched, making clear contact with a ball that was headed out of play.
Advertisement
Jiménez, 33, opened the scoring in the eighth minute after meeting a sailing cross at the back post and easily heading the ball home. Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera grossly misjudged the flight of the ball, missing Roberto Alvarado's cross completely.
At that moment, it felt like Mexico would run away with the result in front of a loud pro-Mexico crowd. A reported 68,212 attended the final on Sunday. Yet Panama didn't lose its focus after conceding so early. For a team that is comfortable defending in a low block, it quickly adjusted, pushing numbers forward in search of the equalizer.
Mexico continued to create chances but solid defending from the Panamanian back line kept the favorites at bay. In the 41st minute, Panama striker Cecilio Waterman, the hero against the U.S. in the semifinal, went down inside the Mexico penalty area following a Panama corner kick.
After a video assistant referee review, Panama was awarded a penalty. Adalberto Carrasquilla calmly scored from the spot to even the score at 1-1 in first-half stoppage time. Panama was first to appear onto the pitch after the halftime break, looking spirited and hungry for the second half. It became a physical and choppy encounter in the final 45 minutes.
Few chances were created but there were plenty of hard tackles from both sides. A frustrated Mexico fanbase was warned in the 81st minute after sectors of the partisan crowd defied Concacaf's anti-discriminatory protocol with a homophobic fan chant. The referee stopped the match two minutes later when the chant continued.
Things calmed down until the 89th minute, when Mexico was awarded a spot kick after the blatant handball from Córdoba inside his own penalty area. Jiménez, whose first goal in the match put him fourth all-time on Mexico national scoring list, converted after several stutter steps. Beer cups flew throughout SoFi Stadium as Jiménez stood tall at the penalty spot admiring the bedlam.
Raúl Jiménez comes up clutch from the PK spot 🇲🇽
Mexico are crowned Concacaf Nations League champions for the first time in their history 🏆 pic.twitter.com/JeyzxZ9c4g
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) March 24, 2025
It was a cruel ending for Panama. The underdog Canaleros had played a valiant match in hostile territory. Córdoba's decision to handle the ball unnecessarily spoiled their efforts and prevented Panama from celebrating their first continental title.
For Mexico, an in-form and inspired Jiménez is certainly something to celebrate. Jiménez struggled to fully recover from a serious head injury that he suffered while playing for Wolverhampton in 2020. He did not play for nine months, which put his professional career in doubt.
Advertisement
Five years later, he's once again Mexico's main man, a triumphant return for one of Mexico's most beloved players. And Mexico is once again Concacaf's top squad, lifting the Nations League trophy after a pair of runner-up showings sandwiched a third-place finish. As fellow 2026 World Cup cohosts Canada and the U.S. stumbled, El Tri seized the moment.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Washington Star Terry McLaurin Makes Major Announcement Ahead of Commanders Mini-Camp
Going into the 2025 NFL season, the Washington Commanders are a popular pick to be one of the best teams in the conference, if not the entire NFL. Thanks to the play of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels a year ago, the Commanders made a surprising run to the NFC Championship game and became one of the most exciting young teams in the league. However, there might be some trouble brewing in Washington D.C. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin would be holding out and not attending the Commanders' mandatory mini-camp over an ongoing contract dispute with the team. McLaurin has been away from the team throughout OTAs this spring as well as he continues to lobby for a new contract, and that absence will continue this summer at mini-camp until they can figure something out. McLaurin is in the final year of his three-year contract that was signed with Washington, and is set to earn $19.65 million in 2025. However, with the mini-camp holdout, the two-time Pro-Bowler will accrue fines of over $100k in order to send a message to the team that he is serious about getting paid. If the two sides can not come to an agreement, there is the potential that a trade takes place. Teams around the league like the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers have been floated as potential landing spots should that happen. In six years with Washington, McLaurin has 6,379 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was the top target for Daniels, who was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, catching 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns, a career year. If the Commanders are to make the deep run in 2025 and 2026 that many are projecting, McLaurin will likely need to be a big part of it. Related: Terry McLaurin Turning Heads After Absence At Commanders Workouts Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
One year from World Cup opener, FIFA leaves questions unanswered on tickets and security
NEW YORK (AP) — A year from the largest World Cup ever, there has been no announcement on general ticket sales, prices for most seats, location of a draw or security arrangements as FIFA has mostly avoided disclosing details of an event set for 16 stadiums across the United States, Mexico and Canada. There is uncertainty about whether fans from some nations will be welcome — 11 of the venues are located in the U.S., where all matches will be played from the quarterfinals on. Security is a concern, too. At the last major soccer tournament in the U.S., the 2024 Copa America final at Miami Gardens, Florida, started 82 minutes late after spectators breached security gates. 'That was certainly a reminder and a wake-up call if anybody needed it that those types of things are going to be used in terms of the ultimate assessment of whether this World Cup is successful,' said former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas, now Fox's lead soccer analyst. U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 nations exempted athletes, coaches, staff and relatives while not mentioning fans. Vice President JD Vance made what could be interpreted as a warning on May 6. 'Of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,' he said. 'But when the time is up they'll have to go home. Otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' he added, speaking alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Back in U.S. for first time in 32 years The 1994 World Cup sparked the launch of Major League Soccer with 12 teams in 1996, and $50 million in World Cup profits seeded the U.S. Soccer Foundation, tasked with developing the sport's growth. MLS now has 30 teams, plays in 22 soccer specific stadiums and has club academies to grow the sport and improve talent. Next year's tournament will include 104 games, up from 64 from 1998 through 2022, and the 11 U.S. stadiums are all NFL homes with lucrative luxury suites and club seating. It also will be the first World Cup run by FIFA without a local organizing committee. 'The legacy initiative of 2026 is around how we ensure that soccer is everywhere in this county,' U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson said. 'How do we ensure that every American can walk, ride their bike or take public transit to a safe place to play soccer? How do we make it to where every school in America has soccer accessible to their students? And how do we make it to wherever every American can truly see themselves in the game?' Interest in soccer has vastly increased in the U.S., with England's Premier League averaging 510,000 viewers per match window on NBC's networks last season and the European Champions League final drawing more than 2 million viewers in each of the past five years on CBS. However, CBS broadcast just 26 of 189 Champions League matches on TV in 2024-25 and streamed the rest. MLS drew about 12.2 million fans last year, second to 14.7 million in 2023-24 for the Premier League's 20 teams, but MLS has largely disappeared from broadcast TV since starting a 10-year contract with Apple TV+ in 2023. Apple spokesman Sam Citron said the company does not release viewer figures. In a fractured television landscape, different deals were negotiated by FIFA, UEFA, MLS, the NWSL, the USSF and the five major European leagues. 'You basically have over 2,800 game windows per season aired in the United States and so that requires distribution largely on streaming platforms like Paramount+ or ESPN+, but it's difficult for new fan adoption and it makes reach kind of challenging,' said Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners, which holds controlling interests in AC Milan and Toulouse and owns a non-controlling stake of Fenway Sports Group, parent of Liverpool. 'Kids today are getting weaned on Premier League football and Serie A football, and when you watch that as a product, it's hard for MLS to compete.' 1994 World Cup set attendance record The 1994 World Cup, a 24-nation tournament, drew a record 3.58 million fans for 52 matches. Ticket prices ranged from $25-$75 for most first round games and $180-$475 for the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. FIFA, which has about 800 people working at an office in Coral Gables, Florida, says it will announce information on general tickets in the third quarter. It wouldn't say whether prices will be fixed or variable. Hospitality packages are available on FIFA's website through On Location. For the eight matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, including the final on July 19, prices range from $25,800 to $73,200 per person. Variable ticket pricing possible FIFA appears to be using variable pricing for this year's Club World Cup, played at 12 U.S. stadiums from June 14 to July 13, and some prices repeatedly have been slashed. Marriott Bonvoy, a U.S. Soccer Federation partner, has been offering free tickets to some of its elite members. Asked about Club World Cup ticket sales and team base camp arrangements, Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup's chief tournament officer, hung up four minutes and five questions into a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Brendan O'Connell, the publicist who arranged the interview, wrote in an email to the AP: 'The guest was not prepared for those questions.' FIFA's media relations staff would not make FIFA president Gianni Infantino available to discuss the tournament. Ahead of the 1994 World Cup, FIFA announced in May 1992 the draw would take place at Las Vegas on Dec. 18 or 19, 1993. FIFA has not revealed plans for this year's draw but appears to be planning for Las Vegas on Dec. 5. Regular ticket sales began in February 1993 for the U.S. soccer family and general first- and second-round sales started that June. Fans submitted lottery applications in October 1993 for games from the quarterfinals on. Teams could train away from World Cup cities While not detailing ticketing plans for next year's tournament, FIFA is spreading it beyond the host cites and lists about 60 possible base camps for teams to use, paired with hotels. Some are fancy — The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — and some more Spartan — the Courtyard by Marriott Mesa at Wrigleyville West in Arizona. Thousands of arrangements must be coordinated. Major League Baseball is drawing up its schedule to ensure that the four teams whose ballparks share parking lots with World Cup stadiums — in Arlington, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia; and Seattle — won't play home games on the dates of tournament matches. Boris Gartner, CEO of La Liga North America, a joint venture of the Spanish soccer league and Relevent Sports, said the 2026 World Cup should be viewed as just another step in the sport's long-term growth in the United States. 'If you have a clear understanding of the market and the audience, a clear understanding of the value that these properties bring to media companies, and you mix content with a commercial strategy, with the right media distribution strategy, this is something that will continue to grow over the next two decades,' he said. 'If more people are watching the NWSL, more people are going to be interested in soccer that could potentially end up watching a Bundesliga game or La Liga game.' ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ludicrous trade proposal lands Steelers star WR at great cost
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be centered around trade rumors for several different pass-catchers, as they look for weapons to add to their offense opposite DK Metcalf. Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith has been a name floating around for the last week and a half, and the Steelers reportedly made calls to the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons about Chris Olave and Kyle Pitts, respectively. With Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin seeking a new deal and potentially skipping mandatory minicamp, the talks of a trade have begun to come out in terms of potential proposals. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggested the Steelers send their first-round pick in 2026 and the 2027 fifth-round pick they received from the Dallas Cowboys in the George Pickens trade to acquire the All-Pro receiver. Advertisement 'Pittsburgh may have to pay a premium in terms of draft capital to acquire McLaurin for a couple of reasons,' Knox writes. 'For one, the Steelers are highly unlikely to be picking near the top of the draft order. Under head coach Mike Tomlin, they simply don't experience sub-.500 seasons. Secondly, the Steelers won't want to surrender any potential contributors in a trade. Their play for Rodgers suggests they believe they can make a serious run this season. They're not going to part with a player who can help them achieve that goal. Of course, acquiring McLaurin wouldn't have to be a one-year investment. With $32.3 million in cap space, the Steelers could afford to lock him up long-term.' Photo byRespectfully speaking to Knox, the Steelers would be insane to trade their first-round pick in 2026 when they are certainly going to use that pick on a quarterback to be the future of their franchise. In addition, it likely wouldn't take a first-round pick to acquire McLaurin. DK Metcalf went for a second-round pick and a Day Three pick swap. McLaurin will be 30 this season, and trading a first-round pick for a 30-year-old wideout when you don't have a long-term franchise quarterback on the books would be a firable offense. More from