GLENDALE, Ariz. — The road to the Concacaf Gold Cup final has been a bumpy one for Mexico, but El Tri have survived back-to-back nail biters and will play for the continental championship for the ninth time on Sunday (9 pm ET | FS1, Univision, UDN).
After winning a quarterfinal on penalty kicks in Houston over Costa Rica, Mexico needed a Raul Jimenez penalty in extra time to advance 1-0 over Haiti in the Tuesday night’s semifinal at State Farm Stadium. Now it’s on to Chicago, site of Mexico’s only Gold Cup final loss, 2-1 to the US at Soldier Field in 2007.
“We just kept doing what we were doing and we showed a lot of character,” defender Carlos Salcedo said in Spanish. “There have been games where we could do a lot of what we wanted and others where we couldn't. That's how these tournaments go. We did what we had to do.”
Mexico have won seven titles in their previous eight finals appearances. No other Concacaf side has more championships. And as they attempt to win their eighth, coach Tata Martino and his players will have one more day of rest than their finals opponent after playing two 120-minute games in four days.
“From here until the game Sunday, there’s going to be a lot of rest,” said Jorge Theiler, who operated as head coach Tuesday night as Martino served a yellow-card accumulation suspension. “A lot of video, a lot of talks with Tata and correcting the things we did wrong and strengthening all the good things we did.”
Mexico had plenty of opportunities to score much earlier and take control. Haiti, to their credit, dug in and fended off repeated attacks until referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim spotted a foul in the penalty area on Herve Bazile.
Haiti’s players took positives from how they played against Concacaf’s best team, and look forward to another chance to shine on a big stage in an important tournament.
“Now we focus on the next round of the [Concacaf] Nations League and try to qualify for the next World Cup,” said Haiti and New York Red Bulls winger Derrick Etienne Jr. “That’s all we can do now. It means a lot to be able to make the semifinal in my first international and I look forward to continue setting the standard for myself and for the team, and reaching it.”
Mexico will need to address their finishing of chances ahead of the final. Goalkeeper Memo Ochoa has shouldered the load in the knockout round while El Tri have scored only twice since the group stage.
Will a more dynamic Mexico return to the field on Sunday?
“That’s the idea,” Theiler said. “Tata’s intention is that everyone if going to be ready. The style we play, the intensity with which we play, that’s Martino’s style. Pressure and constant attacking. That’s why the players were spent. But the objective is to arrive refreshed so everyone can do their job.”
