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≡ CONCACAF GOLD CUP ≡
Defending champion Mexico faced the U.S. for the eighth time in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in front of a full house at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, and came away with a second straight trophy, 2-1.
The U.S. got off to a dream start amid the haze from the pre-game fireworks, with forward Sebastian Berhalter sending a right-footed line drive into the middle of the box on a long free kick to defender Chris Richards right in front of the goal and his header bounced off the underside of the crossbar and was across the goal line for a 1-0 lead at the 3:32 mark!
But Mexico dominated possession – 65% in the first half-hour – and continuously worked the U.S. side, looking for an opening. U.S. keeper Matt Freese had to make two saves, under constant pressure. Finally, in the 27th, midfielder Marcel Ruiz fed the ball into the box and striker Raul Jimenez quick-shot a left-footed strike that whooshed into the U.S. net, just under the crossbar, for the 1-1 tie.
The Americans took more possession after 35 minutes, and almost got a score at 45+1 as defender Alex Freeman got on the end of a long ball by Berhalter into the box and headed it as Mexican keeper Angel Malagon came out, with the ball bouncing off the side of Malagon’s head!
The half ended 1-1, with Mexico at 64% possession, a 7-3 edge on shots and 5-2 on shots on goal.
Mexico started the second half in control again, with only an occasional U.S. foray toward the Mexican goal. Off all the possession, Mexico scored in the 77th; off a corner, defender Johan Vasquez sent a header which was headed on by midfielder Edson Alvarez into the net for the 2-1 lead. It was initially called offsides, but then declared good after a video review.
The U.S. pressured for an equalizer and off a great service from defender Tim Ream, striker Patrick Agyemang couldn’t get a shot off in a scrum in front of the Mexican net at 90+2. But it ended 2-1 for Mexico, the aggressor throughout the game, with 60% of possession and finishing with 16-6 edge on shots.
It’s the 10th Gold Cup for Mexico, which won its sixth final over the U.S. (vs. two losses), and the first time for a back-to-back win since Mexico did it in 2009 and 2011.
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The FIFA Club World Cup is coming to a close, with attendance improving for the big-name clubs in the quarterfinals.
The group stage saw attendance at 56.35% of capacity, which improved to 63.28% for the Round-of-16 games. It got better again for the quarterfinals on 4-5 July (capacities in parentheses):
● 43,091 (60,219) in Orlando for Fluminense (BRA) 2, Al-Hilal (KSA) 1
● 65,782 (67,594) in Philadelphia for Chelsea (ENG) 2, Palmeiras (BRA) 1
● 66,937 (71,000) in Atlanta for Paris St. Germain (FRA) 2, Bayern Munich (GER) 0
● 76,611 (82,500) in East Rutherford for Real Madrid (ESP) 3, Borussia Dortmund (GER) 2
That’s 95.8% of capacity (269,549/281,313), with the final three games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford: Fluminense vs. Chelsea on Tuesday (8th) and Paris St. Germain vs. Real Madrid (9th), with the final on Sunday (13th).
Some of this was influenced by enormous ticket price cuts; The Associated Press reported Saturday:
“FIFA cut standard ticket prices for the semifinal between Chelsea and Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday to $13.40 from $473.90 earlier in the past week.”
Prior games saw similar discounts, including for the quarterfinals. Through 60 matches, total attendance was 2,262,846 for an average of 37,714 per match. That’s not spectacular, but continues to demonstrate the interest in the giant, brand-name European clubs.
While the “need” for this tournament will be hotly debated within the football community, especially by the European clubs and leagues, the discussions about what was learned for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take center stage, with questions about heat, match times, field quality and much more.
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