MIAMI, Florida – The long-time rivalry between the United States and Mexico will be renewed this Thursday when they square off in the semifinals of the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The two teams staged a classic in the first ever CNL Finals in 2021 when the U.S. emerged with a dramatic 3-2 win in extra time over El Tricolor. Christian Pulisic’s game-winning goal, coupled with Ethan Horvath’s last-minute save of an Andres Guardado penalty, made for an instant Concacaf classic.
Now, the two teams will take to the field in a semifinal affair in a Concacaf tournament for the first time since the 1991 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals when the U.S. captured a 2-0 win over their neighbors to the south.
Historic rivals in a new match 👊 pic.twitter.com/z20vNenxzN
— Concacaf Nations League (@CNationsLeague) June 15, 2023
The U.S. sealed their place in the CNLF thanks to a first-place finish in Group D of League A in the 2022-23 CNL, topping opponents El Salvador and Grenada.
The U.S. finished with the most goals scored in League A with 14, thanks in large part to Jesus Ferreira, who had four goals, while the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Luca de la Torre and Antonee Robinson played big roles on the field. Aaronson led the team with 149 completed passes, while De La Torre and Robinson each had four ball recoveries.
Mexico lead the all-time series against the U.S. with a 36W-17D-22L record, outscoring their rivals by a margin of 145-87. By virtue of their first-place finish in Group A of League A, El Tricolor will be able to take a crack at a 37th triumph against the U.S.
Seven different players, plus an own goal, accounted for Mexico’s scoring during the group stage, including Henry Martin, Erick Sanchez and Luis Romo. Romo was also a key cog in midfield with 138 completed passes and four ball recoveries.
Young FW Santiago Gimenez could provide a spark up top for El Tricolor. The 22-year-old is coming off a first-year campaign in the Dutch Eredivisie with Feyenoord where he scored 15 goals in 32 league matches.
Match Officials: MEX vs USA
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
AR1: David Moran (SLV)
AR2: Juan Francisco Zumba (SLV)
4th Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)
VAR: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
AVAR: Ismael Cornejo (SLV)
History, Statistics, Mexico vs USA
