Fresh off its dramatic 3-1 win over Jamaica on Thursday, the U.S. men’s national team meets a familiar foe in Sunday’s Concacaf Nations League final against Mexico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
For nearly 95 minutes in Thursday’s semifinal the USMNT trailed the Reggae Boyz 1-0 after Greg Leigh’s opening-minute goal stunned the Americans and killed any momentum they had heading into the match as the favorites on home soil. But then, in the final minute of regular time, Christian Pulisic sailed a corner kick into the box that Miles Robinson was able to flick toward Jamaica’s Cory Burke, who, unfortunately for the visiting squad and fans, redirected it into the net for an equalizer. Thirty minutes of extra time later, the USMNT was up 3-1 — thanks to some late magic from Gio Reyna and Haji Wright — and headed to Sunday’s final.
El Tri had no such problems in their semifinal match and cruised to a 3-0 victory over Panama thanks to goals from Edson Álvarez, Julián Quiñones and Orbelín Pineda.
Last year, the USMNT defeated Mexico 3-0 in the Nations League semifinals before taking down Canada in the final for the trophy. But the semifinal against Mexico was memorable for how heated the North American rivalry unfolded. The match became an intense battle marked by physical play and unruly behavior from both sides. Pulisic netted the first two goals, however, sealing the most lopsided victory for the USMNT against its main rival to date.
Will Sunday be a repeat of that ugly semifinal? Yahoo Sports senior soccer reporter Henry Bushnell is on the scene and will provide updates and analysis in our live blog below. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on Paramount+.