Either Mexico or Panama will lift the CONCACAF Nations League trophy for the first time on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in a rematch of the 2023 Gold Cup final.
El Tri defeated Canada 2-0 in the semi-finals on Thursday, while Los Canaleros are through to the final for the first time after stunning the USA 1-0.
Match preview
Mexico have a chance to get back to the top of the CONCACAF podium Sunday, after a clinical display in their semi-final triumph against Canada.
Javier Aguirre‘s men scored on two of their three targeted efforts, while they allowed just one shot on target to the Canadians.
Sunday will mark their third appearance in the final of this competition, with the Mexicans losing the two previous ones they appeared in versus the United States, suffering a 2-0 defeat at this stage last year.
Since that defeat to the US, this team are unbeaten in five of their last six meetings versus sides from CONCACAF, with their only loss coming at Honduras (2-0) in the opening leg of their Nations League quarter-final tie.
They are unbeaten in their last five matches played on American soil and have not conceded a single goal during that stretch.
Mexico have not lost a knockout match in a CONCACAF tournament since Panama beat them 2-1 in the 2013 Gold Cup semi-finals.
At the same time, El Tri have never lost the final of a CONCACAF competition against a Central American opponent, coming away with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Panama in the 2023 Gold Cup final.
Against the odds, Panama came through in their semi-final clash on Thursday, advancing to the final of this competition for the first time.
That gives Thomas Christiansen a chance to cement his place in Panamanian history, as he aims to guide this team to their first continental trophy.
Three times this team have made the final of the Gold Cup and in all three instances, they suffered narrow defeats, including one on penalties to the US in 2005 (3-1), while Santiago Gimenez broke their hearts with a winner two minutes from the end of the 2023 final.
Entering this match, the Panamanians are unbeaten in their last three matches played against CONCACAF opposition, all of which occurred in the Nations League.
If they win on Sunday, they will become the first Central American side to win a continental tournament since Costa Rica captured the 1989 CONCACAF Championship.
Not since the 2024 Copa America have we seen this team win consecutive competitive fixtures, following up a 2-1 victory over the USA in the group stage with a 3-1 triumph versus Bolivia.
La Marea Roja are winless in their last 15 matches played against Mexico, failing to score in 11 of those instances, with their previous victory over El Tri occurring on US soil in the 2013 Gold Cup semi-final (2-1).
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Team News
From their leg two quarter-final victory over Honduras (4-0), Aguirre brought in five newcomers to his starting 11 against Canada including Israel Reyes, Johan Vasquez, Roberto Alvarado, Erik Lira and Santi Gimenez.
Alvarado can collect his 50th cap for El Tri on Sunday, while Ramon Juarez and Carlos Moreno are still looking to make their first appearances with the national team.
A brace from Raul Jimenez was all they would need to get past Canada, with the Fulham striker moving beyond Luis Hernandez for fourth in all-time goals for El Tri with his 36th and 37th, while putting him just one behind Cuauhtemoc Blanco for a share of third place.
Panama inserted three newcomers into the lineup for their semi-final match, who did not begin their second-leg quarter-final draw with Costa Rica (2-2), as Carlos Harvey, Jorge Gutierrez and Anibal Godoy replaced Fidel Escobar, Michael Murillo and Edgar Barcenas.
In their victory over the US, Cristian Martinez collected his 50th cap with Los Canaleros, while Edward Cedeno is still searching for his first for the national team.
Cecilio Waterman was the hero on Thursday, scoring in the fourth minute of added time, with Orlando Mosquera making five stops to preserve the clean sheet.
Mexico possible starting lineup:
Malagon; Reyes, Alvarez, Vasquez; Alvarado, Romo, Chavez, Gallardo; Gimenez, Jimenez, Vega
Panama possible starting lineup:
Mosquera; Blackman, Harvey, Farina, Cordoba, Gutierrez; Martinez, Carrasquilla, Godoy, Rodriguez; Waterman
We say: Mexico 1-0 Panama
As they have done in each of their finals before, we expect the Panamanians to put up a good fight and keep this match close for long stretches.
In the end, though, the Mexicans know how to get ahead in these big games, and a top-class striker like Jimenez could tip the scales in their favour.
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