USA and Mexico will fight for a place in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League on Friday, when they square off in a semi-final tie in Nevada.
The two sides both topped their groups in League A while maintaining unbeaten records and will be keen to secure silverware in the Nations League finals and the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Match preview
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After winning the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League tournament in 2021 with a victory over Mexico after extra time in the final, USA again find themselves squaring off against El Tri in their bid to reach the final and win the second edition of the competition after progressing through the group stage in comfortable fashion.
Then under the management of Gregg Berhalter, the Stars and Stripes began with a 5-0 thrashing of Grenada and a draw with El Salvador last June, before heading into the World Cup late in the year and advancing from their group with five points and an unbeaten record from draws with England and Wales and a victory over Iran.
They would then drop out of the competition following a round-of-16 defeat to the Netherlands, and following Berhalter's exit around the turn of the year, the USMNT returned to competitive action for their final two Nations League games in March, firstly completing a heavy double over Grenada with a 7-1 beating courtesy of braces from Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie and goals from Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic and Alejandro Zendejas.
Such a result left USA needing a draw from their final meeting with El Salvador to seal top spot and a semi-final place, and Pepi would again find the net to secure a 1-0 victory for his nation, taking them onto 10 points as a result.
Now on the back of a 1-1 draw with Friday's opponents, and with B.J. Callaghan now in temporary charge of the national team, the Stars and Stripes will aim to take a step towards securing a second successive Nations League title before also seeking to triumph in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicks off at the end of June.
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They meet a Mexico side who will look to avenge the defeat in the previous final and get one over their hosts to advance to the Nations League final.
El Tri kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 beating of Suriname and a 1-1 draw away at Jamaica to establish themselves at the top of the group, before their World Cup bid ended at the group stage, with a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in their final game not enough to salvage a place in the round of 16 after a draw with Poland and a defeat to eventual winners Argentina.
They would also return to action in late March under the new management of Diego Cocca and strengthen their position with a 2-0 win against Suriname, before holding off Jamaica and securing first place with a 2-2 draw against the Reggae Boyz, thanks to goals from Orbelin Pineda and Hirving Lozano.
Following that recent 1-1 draw with the USA in a friendly, Cocca's men have played in two further outings since in preparation for the semi-finals, firstly beating Guatemala 2-0 before playing out a 2-2 draw with Cameroon in California on Sunday, having drawn level in injury time through Kevin Alvarez after Israel Reyes had previously equalised for his nation on the stroke of half time.
Now aiming to get their hands on the CONCACAF Nations League trophy for the first time after the disappointment in 2021, and before kicking off the CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage against Haiti in two weeks, Mexico will be desperate to book their place in the final with a victory over the Stars and Stripes in Nevada.
Team News
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USA have called up a strong squad for the CONCACAF Nations League finals, although there are still some notable absences, with key midfielder Tyler Adams having missed the final months of the Premier League season through injury, while defenders DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Miazga and Tim Ream and attackers Jordan Morris, Paul Arriola and Daryl Dike are also not in contention.
Chelsea's Christian Pulisic should play a crucial role in attack, having scored 23 goals in 58 international caps thus far, while Folarin Balogun may be given a first cap following an impressive season with Reims, for whom he scored 21 Ligue 1 goals.
Without Adams and the likes of Cristian Roldan and Kellyn Acosta, the midfield should certainly feature Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah, with Giovani Reyna in a more advanced role, while Walker Zimmerman may join Chris Richards in the middle of a back four, in front of Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Mexico will feel the losses of the likes of Raul Jimenez, Jesus Corona and talismanic winger Hirving Lozano in attack for their semi-final, with all three set to miss out on the final squad, through injury in the latter's case, while midfielders Hector Herrera and Erick Gutierrez and defenders Hector Moreno and Nestor Araujo are also not involved.
Instead, Santiago Gimenez and Henry Martin will hope to lead the line, while Uriel Antuna will look to cause problems on the wings having managed 10 international goals thus far.
Ajax's Edson Alvarez will undoubtedly play a crucial role at the base of the midfield, with the likes of Luis Romo, Carlos Rodriguez and Luis Chavez fighting to join him, while Johan Vasquez and Cesar Montes could partner up at the heart of the defence, flanked by two of Julian Araujo, Gerardo Arteaga, Jorge Sanchez and Jesus Gallardo.
USA possible starting lineup:
Turner; Dest, Richards, Zimmerman, Robinson; Musah, McKennie; Reyna, Pulisic; Weah, Balogun
Mexico possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Araujo, Vasquez, Montes, Gallardo; Alvarez, Romo, Rodriguez; Antuna, Martin, Vega
We say: USA 2-1 Mexico
We certainly expect a hard-fought and close encounter in this semi-final tie, but USA boast slightly more quality ahead of the showdown in Nevada, given the losses in the Mexican squad, and we anticipate the Stars and Stripes coming out on top on home soil and advancing in their bid to make it two triumphant Nations League campaigns in a row.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
