North America’s biggest international soccer rivalry returns with a 2023 Concacaf Nations League final spot up for grabs, as the United States and Mexico meet Thursday evening for a semifinal encounter at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
How to watch and stream
- English: Paramount+
- Spanish: Univision
When
- Thursday, June 15 vs. Mexico - 10 pm ET/7 pm PT
Where
- Allegiant Stadium - Las Vegas, Nevada
The winner advances to face either Canada or Panama on Sunday in the final, while the loser heads to a third-place matchup earlier Sunday. Those games will also be contested at Allegiant Stadium, the year-round home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
This amounts to a rematch of the 2021 Concacaf Nations League final, which the USMNT memorably won 3-2 over El Tri behind Christian Pulisic’s penalty kick in extratime. That was the USMNT’s first of two regional titles two summers ago; they’ll also defend a Gold Cup crown in late June and early July.
While both programs are in a degree of flux – the USMNT are led by interim head coach B.J. Callaghan (their second temporary boss since the 2022 FIFA World Cup), and El Tri are in the early days under head coach Diego Cocca – the rivalry stakes never waver in this matchup. Expect a full-throttle, intense affair with both rosters mixing European stars coming off their 2022-23 club seasons and domestic leagues.
USMNT fans eagerly await the debut of striker Folarin Balogun, who last month committed to the program after completing a massively successful loan from Arsenal (English Premier League) to Stade Reims (Ligue 1). FC Dallas product Ricardo Pepi is in contention for the long-troublesome No. 9 role as well, but hope springs eternal Balogun is the missing piece in an attack that’s also spearheaded by Pulisic and Tim Weah as wingers.
That storyline aside, the USMNT must determine their midfield complexion as captain and New York Red Bulls product Tyler Adams recovers from a hamstring injury that derailed his debut season with Leeds United and impacted their relegation to England’s second division. The center back spot needs some solutions, too, as veteran Tim Ream recovers from a broken arm that cut short his widely-praised season with EPL side Fulham.
As Callaghan weighs those lineup decisions, there’s a reminder the USMNT haven’t had a permanent head coach since a Round of 16 finish at the World Cup in Qatar. New sporting director Matt Crocker has said they anticipate a hire by the end of summer, with Callaghan taking the reins after initial interim Anthony Hudson departed last month for a job in the Qatari league. They were both assistants under former coach Gregg Berhalter during the 2022 World Cup cycle.
The USMNT, winners of League A (Group D), have much to account for in the months ahead as the ground floor is established before the 2024 Copa América (must qualify) and 2026 World Cup (auto-qualified) come to the United States.
It's a new era for Mexico, who are emerging from the disappointment of a group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup. They had reached the Round of 16 at every World Cup spanning from 1994-2018, but finished 22nd of 32 teams overall in Qatar and former head coach Tata Martino quickly exited.
El Tri then hired Cocca to lead the 2026 World Cup cycle, a manager familiar in Liga MX circles after previous stints at Club Tijuana, Atlas and Tigres UANL. Cocca helped them top League A (Group A), and now Mexico have their sight sets on claiming two Concacaf crowns this summer, starting with Nations League and then continuing with the Gold Cup.
While Mexico are introducing some new faces, plenty of familiar rivals remain as well: goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, midfielder Edson Álvarez and forward Henry Martín are among big names to watch. Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez is coming off a fantastic season in the Eredivisie and MLS fans will recognize the ex-LA Galaxy duo of fullback Julián Araujo and winger Uriel Antuna.
But here's the bottom line for Mexico: reclaiming their status as the premier team in Concacaf is front of mind. That's shifted in recent years, and now a Mexico-heavy crowd will be cheering them on in Las Vegas.
