USMNT confronted with challenging circumstances in Gold Cup final loss to Mexico, with a score of 2-1 in favor of the Mexican team.
The 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup final between Mexico and the United States was marked by a significant amount of controversy and criticism regarding the consistency of officiating. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino voiced his concerns over three key decisions that he believed negatively impacted his team's chances of winning.
Pochettino questioned the referees' decisions, including the refusal to award a penalty to the U.S. for a handball by Mexico's Jorge Sánchez in the 67th minute, a foul called against U.S. player Diego Luna, and the initial disallowing of Edson Álvarez's game-winning goal for offside, which was later overturned by VAR.
Pochettino implied a perceived bias or double standard in officiating, suggesting that if such calls had gone against Mexico, the reaction from fans and media would have been far more critical. U.S. defender Chris Richards also criticized the officiating and compared some defensive actions by Mexico to being overly physical but unpunished.
The referee, Mario Escobar of Guatemala, had been involved in contentious calls previously in the tournament, including disallowing a Mexico goal in an earlier match. His officiating in the final came under scrutiny as well.
The match, which saw Mexico win with a score of 2-1, was dominated by Mexico for much of the first half. Raul Jimenez scored the first goal for Mexico in the 27th minute, and the decisive goal was scored by Edson Alvarez in the 77th minute, initially flagged for offside but later overturned by VAR. Alvarez, who had a goal disallowed earlier in the tournament, called the reversal and eventual win a testament to the team's perseverance.
Matt Freese made several critical saves for the United States, but it was not enough to prevent Mexico from securing back-to-back Gold Cups and adding to their regional dominance with a 10th title, including three earlier CONCACAF Championship wins before the Gold Cup era.
Pochettino expressed frustration over what he viewed as a lack of consistency in the officiating, and the controversy surrounding the final is likely to continue to be a topic of discussion in the aftermath of the match.
Pochettino, in reference to American football terminology, likened the officiating inconsistencies to a missed call in sports analysis, suggesting if such decisions were in favor of Mexico, the criticism might have been more intense. Chris Richards, on the other hand, employed a sports-analogy from football, stating that some physical defensive actions by Mexico went unpunished, akin to a questionable sports decision.
