Gold Cup - Final Preview

It all comes down to this!

It’s hard to believe the Gold Cup is coming to a close - it has been a fantastic competition showcasing some of the best that this region has to offer! Sunday’s final has the potential to be a springboard of momentum for either team, Before we get into it - let’s take a look how each finalist won their matchup!

Semifinal Review

Panama: 1-1 (5-4 PKs) win vs United States

Watch Highlights Here

This game had an odd feel to it from the start - the 4:30pm local kickoff in San Diego brought brutal heat and a sparsely filled stadium. BJ Callaghan fielded a new lineup with Brandon Vazquez and Cade Cowell entering the XI - but it was strange that there wasn’t a change in formation (as Ferreira was playing out on the wing in the 4-3-3). Other than Cade Cowell’s shot off the post in the first minute, the USMNT looked disjointed. Panama responded as expected - they controlled possession and bossed the midfield. Although it didn’t result in goals, Panama went into the break with 66% possession all the momentum.

To BJ Callaghan’s credit, he made some good halftime adjustments and was able to get the team back into the flow of the game. The second half had missed chances, big saves, and a late goal called offsides and as predicted, we got to see some free fútbol. Panama’s Ivan Anderson grabbed the first goal of the game in the 99th minute off a great ball played over the top from Carrasquilla. Just minutes later, Jesus Ferreira equalized a beautiful goal off a headed assist from Jordan Morris - after all the unwarranted criticism thrown Ferreira’s way, this was great to see! And for the second straight game, the USMNT would try to advance via PKs.

Having to take penalties with the American Outlaws behind the goal, Matt Turner 12 yards away, against a team who just won a shootout a few days prior…it was going to be difficult for Los Canaleros. But the consistent theme of Concacaf in the summer of 2023 is that Panama will not back down - not in the Nations League and not in this tournament. Every player who stepped up to take a penalty seemed unfazed…determined to bring a victory to their nation! Mosquera was able to save Jesus Ferreira’s opening PK and Matt Turner was able to stop Panama’s third spot-kick. Just a few kicks later, in what can simply be described as clown behavior, Matt Miazga converted his shot and then stepped in the way of Cecilio Waterman, jawed with him and even put a body on him. This was even called out by Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas postgame (who haven’t typically been known as beacons of sportsmanship). Waterman proceeded to bury his PK, Mosquera saved Roldan’s shot, and then Coco Carrasquilla won the game with one of the most definitive PKs you’ll ever see.

Mexico: 3-0 win vs Jamaica

Watch Highlights Here

I have to admit, I was mistaken when I assumed that this would be a close to sold-out crowd to watch El Tri in this semifinal…it seems as though the fans are starting to vote with their wallets (a situation FMF was probably sweating over). Maybe some wanted to avoid this “house of horrors” from last month’s Nations League showing. Those bullets of sweat may have faded away after this performance though - it was a convincing 3-0 win for Mexico and Jaime Lozano has this team playing like we haven’t seen for a few years (maybe even since before the pandemic). Jamaica conceded a goal just over a minute in after a mistake and a calm and collected finish from Henry Martin. At this point, the Reggae Boyz looked rattled and Mexico continued to have chances. The dagger came from Luis Chavez at the half hour mark of a stunning free kick. Has Luis Chavez become the best big-game set piece taker in Concacaf after this and his beauty at the World Cup?

El Tri were able to get a late goal in second half stoppage time to seal the 3-0 victory. While not devastating, this game was likely a needed wake up call for Jamaica. Despite adding several key dual-nationals in the last few years, there is still a ways to go in building a cohesive team that can consistently compete at the top of this region. This will give them a lot to build on for potential appearances at next summer’s Copa America and the 2026 World Cup. As for El Tri, players and pundits are buying into what Jaime Lozano has brought to this team - a fresh hope! I expect this big victory to bring the fans back to the final at SoFi stadium in big numbers.

Final Preview

Mexico vs Panama (7/16 at 7:30pm) / Inglewood, CA

These two faced off the Nations League 3rd place game from less than a month ago…how much can change in such a short timeframe…a lot. For El Tri, that game was the end of the “Cocca sin gas” era. Despite the 1-0 victory, almost everybody knew it was the end for Cocca and some even wondered if we were witnessing the true end of Mexico’s power in this region. This was as close to rock bottom as I have seen a Mexican team reach in my lifetime and there was not much happening that seemed to change this trajectory. FMF made the decision to fire Cocca and hire Jaime Lozano as interim manager soon after - a coach who hadn’t had much success in Liga MX but did lead Mexico to a bronze medal at the Olympics in 2021. When he was introduced to the team, he made an impassioned speech that seemed to galvanize the players…but fans and media were still skeptical. Needless to say, Jaime Lozano is one game away from delivering a much needed trophy for El Tri, and potentially one game away from getting the opportunity to guide this team to the 2026 World Cup.

Panama, on the other hand, did not make any drastic changes after losing that 3rd place game. They actually came out feeling quite confident. Other than the early goal they allowed, they outplayed Mexico and felt as though they should have won. They kept the same lineup for this Gold Cup and Thomas Christiansen marched forward with the same gameplan - be technically sound, dominate possession, and create quality chances. It is clear Panama is in the middle of a resurgence and the opportunity to win their first Gold Cup would help take this team to the next level in many people’s eyes. Regardless of the result, Panama has proven that outside of the North American teams, they are the team to beat and that they aren’t going anywhere.

After the last meeting, Mexico hit rock bottom and has bounced back up with the opportunity to grab glory while Panama used that game as a solid foundation to take the next step. Most finals have the tendency to be low scoring and cagey. Given the way this Panama team played Mexico last month and how they played the USMNT earlier this week, I expect the same type of game. My guess is that this game will be tight until the final 15 minutes. My stretch goal heading into the tournament for Panama was to reach the final and for Mexico it was to win the title. I am going to stick with my initial instincts here - I think El Tri will rely on their quality, experience, and dig in to find something even more down the stretch.

Prediction: Mexico 2 - Panama 0

Thank you all for following these updates throughout the Gold Cup - it has been a joy for me and I have appreciated all of the feedback. Next week we will have a full Gold Cup recap along with our Women’s World Cup preview - stay tuned!