After Years of Dreaming, USMNT Newcomers Get Their Chance at Mexico in Gold Cup Final

Matt Freese hasn’t played a USA-Mexico match yet, but he said he grew up wanting to play in those moments. Then the goalkeeper paused for a moment and clarified — he grew up dreaming of winning those games.

The U.S. Men’s National Team will have that chance against their biggest rival in the Concacaf Gold Cup Final on Sunday, July 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston (7 p.m. ET on FOX).

“We didn’t come here to be a second-place team,” he said.

Freese is one of seven total players who have started in the tournament for the U.S. that will have the chance to face El Tri for the first time. And while the two countries have had some heated Concacaf battles in the history of the Gold Cup, the rivalry always adds a little something extra.

However, there are several players on the roster who have that experience: center backs Tim Ream and Chris Richards, to name just a couple. Freese said they’ve relied on the veterans' leadership in preparation for Sunday’s final.

“It's more intense, it's more pressure,” Ream said. “The atmosphere is greater. It's really all you can tell them until we walk out, run out for warm-ups, and you feel that the buzz in the air.”

Ream has told his teammates about a moment that’s stuck out in his almost 15 years playing for the National Team. In 2019, the USA battled Mexico in the Gold Cup Final. Ream remembers walking out of the tunnel at Soldier Field in Chicago and just grinning. The swarm of Mexico fans only motivated him, and he urged his teammates not to shy away from that environment in Houston. The USA ultimately lost that final 1-0 after Jonathan dos Santos scored in the 73rd minute.

Meanwhile, Richards has also seen his fair share of battles with Mexico, including the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Semifinal, where four players — two U.S. and two Mexican — were sent off with red cards. He’s advised his teammates to play smart because staying on the field is a priority.

For midfielder Diego Luna, his Mexican American identity adds a deeper layer to this matchup. His family would make USA-Mexico matches an event, and it was part of the routine when the two nations squared up. Enchiladas and hamburgers fed the family; passion fed the rivalry. Half of his family, including Luna, rooted for the red, white and blue. Other family members cheered for Mexico.

It’ll be a surreal moment for Luna playing in the type of game that has been a cornerstone of his upbringing.

“You're going to have these emotions. It's how you grow up. It's part of your family. It's in your blood,” Luna said. “Being Mexican American, it's just in my blood. ...Right now, especially tonight, there might be emotions. But I think starting tomorrow midday, it's about walking in and really understanding that I'm going to give 100% for the jersey that I'm wearing, and I'm super excited to go out there and play in a game that I've dreamed of since I was a kid.”

Mexico enters Sunday the reigning Gold Cup champions, beating Panama to win the 2023 edition. A USA-Mexico meeting is more than common. This will be the eighth meeting in the final between the United States and its southern neighbors. It’s become the ultimate test.

“If you’re not ready for the Mexico game, I don’t think you’ll be ready for any game,” Richards said.