Mexico head coach Jaime Lozano has said there will be no favorites when his side meets the U.S. men’s national team in the Concacaf Nations League final.
The USMNT barely got past Jamaica on Thursday night, posting a 3-1 win in extra time to reach the showpiece on Sunday. On the other hand, Mexico earned a 3-0 win over Panama in its semifinal match.
That set up a high-profile clash on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The USMNT will be looking to make it three Nations League titles out of three, while Mexico will aim for some revenge after the U.S. won an epic 2021 final in extra time.
Though the USMNT will enter Sunday’s match on a six-game unbeaten run against its biggest rival, Lozano said after the Panama match that the final could go either way.
“There are no favorites,” Lozano said. “Whoever does things better and tries to recover better will be best prepared for the final. Both teams are intent on winning the trophy. There are a lot things for us to improve.”
Lozano: Panama scoreline was misleading
Though the scoreline would seem to indicate a comfortable win against Panama, Lozano felt that his side was not three goals better than Los Canaleros on the night.
“It’s soccer and we made mistakes,” Lozano said. “Luckily for us, they couldn’t take advantage of them. We made some important interceptions to stop them. The final score is very misleading, but we were resolute, we knew how to withstand pressure, remain calm and make the most of our opportunities.”
Mexico was outshot 18-6 on the night and conceded 59 percent of the possession, though El Tri did have a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. But the match could have been very different were it not for some stellar second-half saves from Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa.
“The important thing is to get results. In international tournaments, getting through the group stage is life or death, and you have to learn to withstand pressure and take advantage of your opportunities, your moments, and be efficient in both penalty areas,” Lozano said. “We had a bit of luck when Panama weren’t able to take their chances. Some were saved by Memo Ochoa. But we were resolute.”
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