Mexico gives U.S. plenty to cry about in Gold Cup
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- July 7, 2025
U.S. laments non-penalty call in loss to Mexico
HOUSTON – As the crowd at NRG Stadium serenaded the Mexican national team Sunday night with “El Rey,” United States national team coach Mauricio Pochettino paid close attention to the lyrics.
The iconic Mexican Ranchera is a ballad about a defiant man declaring himself El Rey, or the King in English, despite being down and out. Mexico is once again El Rey of the Concacaf region, and El Tri’s fans were as defiant as ever after the 2-1 victory over the U.S.
“I know well that I’m outside,” the song says in Spanish.
“But the day that I die
“I know you’ll need to cry …”
Then the next chorus says, “Llorar y llorar, llorar y llorar.” Crying and crying, crying and crying.”
Mexico wins 10th Gold Cup crown
Pochettino, a native of Argentina, noted those lyrics in his postgame press conference after Mexico won its 10th Gold Cup title. He vowed not to cry about the loss or the crucial non-call on a clear handball inside the 18-yard box in the 67th minute.
“I think because you listen to a song, no, when you finish the game that was, ‘Llorar y llorar, llorar y llorar.’ Cry and cry?” he said. “I wanted to tell the truth, and the truth was that if that happened in the opposite half in the other box for sure it’s a penalty.”
With the score tied at 1 and the U.S. pressuring in the 67th minute, defender Jorge Sanchez fell making a tackle inside his own 18-yard box. Sanchez put his left hand on the ball while falling to the ground. He then got up and dribbled out of danger as Pochettino and his players called for a penalty kick.
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“You say, ‘silly penalty,’ a silly penalty,” Pochettino said. “It’s like plenty of penalties that are so silly. Silly penalty, yes. The player was with a knee on the floor. He pushed the hand over the ball. It’s not that the hand was on the floor and the ball touched.
“OK, what’s the excuse now? What? That was a penalty and maybe 2-1 for us and maybe we now are celebrating (with) the trophy.”
Fortunately for Mexico, center referee Mario Alberto Escobar Toca ruled that the handball was incidental. The U.S. disagreed.
Ten minutes later, Edson Alvarez gave Mexico the lead for good on a beautiful set piece. Alexis Vega delivered a free kick from the left side toward the near post. Johan Vazquez redirected the ball to Alvarez, who headed the ball into the net.
‘They hate us’
Escobar initially called Alvarez off-side. He reversed his call, however, after consulting with the video assistant referrer or VAR.
“That’s Concacaf for you,” said U.S. center back Chris Richards. “They hate us, and we just have to keep moving with it.”
Richards, who began playing youth club soccer in Houston, scored on a header off Sebastian Berhalter’s free kick to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute. Raul Jimenez tied the score in the 27th minute with a left-footed finish off Marcel Ruiz’s assist.
El Tri dominated possession most of the night before a pro-Mexico sellout crowd of 70,925. Pochettino lamented the fact that the U.S. national team was essentially the road team at home in Houston in the Gold Cup final after playing before a decidedly pro-Guatemala crowd during the semifinal in St. Louis.
Pochettino said the hostile crowds at home weigh on the U.S. national team and take a toll on his players. Tears or not, the defeat was clearly painful.
“I threw my medal away,” Richards said. “There’s no point in having a silver medal. I think as a nation we strive for greatness, and I think as individuals we do too. Going forward, that’s what we’re going to do.”
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer José de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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