USA vs Mexico: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

It's the final that everybody wanted, with all due respect to semifinalists Guatemala and Honduras. The Concacaf Gold Cup final will see the familiar foes cross paths once again as USA and Mexico go all-in at the sold-out NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas.

Some 70,000 spectators (mostly dressed in green) will witness another chapter in the perennial clash of neighbors, a contest that has recently gone the US's way.

USA the Underdog

Few people saw Team USA in the finals before the tour. Yes, Mauricio Pochettino leads a pack that has played three of the last four Gold Cup finals, but they entered the competition with four defeats on a bounce beforehand and with an MLS-heavy squad devoid of stars like Christian Pulisic.

On the road to Texas, however, Pochettino's men topped Group D with three wins out of three, before beating Costa Rica 4:3 on penalties and emerging victorious in the semis against Guatemala.

The game was anything but easy. The Guatemalans were a dominant force in the stands of the Energizer Park, St. Louis, Missouri. Diego Luna hushed the crowd by scoring twice within the opening fifteen minutes, but Team USA had to dig deep and defend the onslaught after Los Chapines got one back.

USA Injury & Suspension News

Team USA is missing the star power of Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Sergino Dest, but no fresh injuries plague the squad.

Mexico Hitting Stride

Mexico is the defending champion of the biennial tournament and the most recent winner of the Nations League. Sharing the Group A top spot with Costa Rica, the Tricolor won a tricky clash with Saudi Arabia and faced the old foes Honduras in the Gold Cup semis.

At Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Mexico controlled the game for almost 90 minutes but couldn't find the net in the first 45 minutes. Raúl Jiménez finally broke the deadlock with a beautiful finish in the 50th minute, leading his side to a comfortable, albeit tense victory.

They may not be all guns ablazing like in some previous iterations, but Mexico has the stingiest defence in the entire continent. El Tri have conceded only two goals in five games so far, giving Pochettino plenty to think about.

Mexico Injury & Suspension News

Javier Aguirre cannot count on midfielder Luis Chávez, who tore his ACL ahead of the quarterfinal match. The rest of the squad is ready to go.

USA vs Mexico Prediction

It's a game between the two most decorated Concacaf nations and the biggest test for new US manager Mauricio Pochettino and third-term Mexico manager Javier Aguirre.

The young USA side showed a lot of promise despite several key players being absent. But Mexico is a whole other level of antagonism. The nine-time winners are on a great run since the early exit from the Copa América, including a 2:0 win in a friendly against the Sunday opponents.

They'll also be looking to give one back to the USA, which won in five of their last six competitive meetings. If the El Tri defence matches the intensity of the young American lions in the opening sections of the game, Mexico has a great chance here. But should they concede first, I'll be worried if I were Javier Aguirre.

CryptoGamba tip: Under 2.5 goals – 1.58 @Rakebit