Mexico vs United States 08/09/19

8 July 2019

The 2019 Gold Cup final that takes place at the Soldier Field in Chicago at midweek sees Mexico and the United States battle it out for the ultimate prize for the fourth time in the 21st century.

The Mexicans have come out on top in two of their previous three meetings with the USMNT in the Gold Cup final (W2, L1), as they now look to reclaim the title that they’ve wrapped up seven times so far.

Gerardo Martino’s men have enjoyed a nice ride to the final, having finished top of Group A with all three wins and a +10 goal difference (S13, C3). However, Mexico’s performances in the knockout stage have not been at the highest level, with El Tri dumping Costa Rica out of the competition after a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals before beating Haiti in extra-time in the semis. Martino has made an instant impact since he took charge of the national team back in March, with Mexico putting together nine straight games without a loss (W7, D2). Mexico’s main problem here could be the fact that they’ve struggled to keep a clean sheet in seven of nine games in 2019, allowing over 1.5 match goals three times since the turn of the year.

Meanwhile, the defending champions have been outstanding in the tournament so far, having clinched all five triumphs, conceding only one goal along the way. Interestingly, seven of the USMNT’s eight wins in 2019 have been accompanied by a clean sheet, with Gregg Berhalter’s men netting over 1.5 match goals on five occasions across those victories. Moreover, except for 1-0 wins over Panama and Curacao, the Stars and Stripes have netted over 2.5 match goals in the remaining three outings at the Gold Cup, which makes them tournament’s joint-best attacking team along with Mexico (15 goals scored in total).