DENVER, Colorado – Nearly two years since their narrow 1-0 defeat to Mexico in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup Final, the United States are eager for another crack at a Concacaf trophy in the Final of the 2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals.
The U.S. emerged with a 1-0 win over Honduras in Thursday’s semifinal, setting up a date with long-time rivals Mexico in Sunday’s Final.
U.S. captain and GK Zack Steffen, who was part of the U.S. team that fell to El Tricolor in that Gold Cup Final, can already envision himself raising the trophy on Sunday night.
“Yes, we’re at home. We have to lift that trophy. We’re playing at home so we absolutely have to win that trophy,” said Steffen in a postgame interview with Concacaf.com.
It was a very difficult 90 minutes for a U.S. team that faced a stiff challenge from Honduras. U.S. MF Weston McKennie credited the team’s mental focus for being able to pull out the result.
“We kept our cool. We just mentally stayed in the game and did not get distracted. It was very important for us to not take our focus off the game and what our task was. I think we did that well,” said McKennie to Concacaf.com following the match.
The U.S. team that took the field was also the second-youngest ever to play in an official match. For many young players, like DF Mark McKenzie and FW Giovanni Reyna, it was their first taste of going against a Concacaf stalwart like Honduras in a tournament match.
Steffen believes his younger teammates learned a lot from the experience and that it will only serve the U.S. squad moving forward.
“The conditions weren’t easy, with the altitude, a quick turnaround with travel and all that stuff, so I’m really proud with how the guys grinded out a gutsy win and we got the shutout. I thought Mark played really well. He was really strong, mentally strong. It was a good experience for him and the guys who haven’t really played a competitive Concacaf game. This was a good stepping stone for the final obviously, but also a good stepping stone for our team to get to where we want to be,” concluded Steffen.
