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Alexi Lalas Names Clear Favorite for USA-Mexico

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 9:52 AM ET

The United States Men's National Team will meet Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final for the eighth time on Sunday.

USMNT advanced to the final with a 2-1 win against Guatemala on Wednesday, sparked by two goals from rising star Diego Luna.

Mexico, the defending Gold Cup champions, followed suit by taking down Honduras 1-0. The results set up the final in Houston on Sunday, which will kick off at 7 p.m. ET on FOX.

After Wednesday's semifinals set up the first USA-Mexico clash in the final since 2021, Fox Soccer analyst and former United States international Alexi Lalas did not hesitate to name the favorite for Sunday's showdown.

Lalas named the United States as "absolute underdogs," taking it a step further by claiming that a loss would be "embarrassing" for Mexico as a nation.

Across seven previous meetings in the Gold Cup final, Mexico holds a definitive 5-2 record in the cross-border series.

"It would be incredibly embarrassing for Mexico as a country to lose this game – this final – in Houston on Sunday, given the realities of the situation."@AlexiLalas says the USMNT are "absolute underdogs" in this matchup – do you agree? pic.twitter.com/FVINrrbUF4
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 3, 2025

Lalas, 55, cited the "realities of the situation," referring to the rosters of both teams. Mexico entered the tournament with a mostly full-strength squad, while Mauricio Pochettino and USMNT had to deal with the absences of European-based stars who chose to sit out.

Christian Pulisic was the most controversial absentee, but the Yanks are also competing without several other players expected to have key roles in the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad, such as Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest.

In their stead, Luna and Malik Tillman have emerged as the leaders of the USMNT en route to the final. They have both recorded three goals and two assists in the tournament. Defender Cesar Montes is Mexico's leading scorer at the Gold Cup with three goals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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