Mexico showdown to provide “learning experience” for young USMNT squad

Sunday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final between the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico may not be the first between the two programs, but for several American players, it will be.

Mauricio Pochettino’s youthful squad are preparing for the 79th all-time meeting with El Tri in Houston, Texas, knowing the winner will lift the trophy and earn bragging rights for at least the next 12 months. The Americans booked their spot in the final after edging Guatemala 2-1 in semifinal play on Wednesday while Mexico defeated Honduras 1-0 later that night.

While veterans Tim Ream, Walker Zimmerman, and Tyler Adams are a few experienced faces in the USMNT squad, many young players such as Diego Luna, Alex Freeman, and Patrick Agyemang will be facing off with El Tri for the first time. Although Zimmerman hasn’t played a minute of this summer’s Gold Cup schedule, the 31-year-old is focused on helping the new crop of players be prepared for a hostile atmosphere against Mexico.

“A lot of these guys, it is their first time playing [against] Mexico. It’s going to be a learning experience,” Zimmerman said in a conference call with reporters. “It’s going to be something that is going to feel a little bit more intense than what they’ve been around in the past. That’s something that we, as guys who have played before, have to prepare them in these training sessions, have to prepare them for the game.

“And again, it’s not to psych them out,” he added. “It’s to make sure that they’re prepared and focused and know that they have the belief of everyone on the staff, on the team that, ‘Hey, you’re here for a reason. You can win this game. You’ve done a great job [in this] tournament. Let’s go finish the job.’ So that’s kind of the mentality we have right now.”

Freeman is one of several new faces to the USMNT squad in 2025 as he aims to be part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster. The Orlando City right back has impressed during his summer appearances, helping the Americans claim five-straight victories in the competition despite suffering back-to-back losses in pre-Gold Cup friendlies.

Wednesday’s USMNT-Guatemala showdown at Energizer Park brought one of the better atmospheres of the Gold Cup, providing Freeman and the other young players with an example of what they will see long-term in CONCACAF matches. While Mexico is a different type of opponent than Guatemala, the USMNT’s overall goal of winning the Gold Cup hasn’t changed.

“It was kind of new for me,” Freeman said about the semifinal atmosphere in St. Louis. “Obviously this is my first tournament with the men’s national team. I feel like this atmosphere can build character.

“I feel like that’s something that I want to do is build my character and show not only the teammates and the coaches but the fans also that this team is built for moments like that,” Freeman added.

Should the USMNT beat Mexico on Sunday, they would lift their eighth Gold Cup in program history, which would them only one behind El Tri for the most in tournament history.