Another Concacaf Gold Cup Final, another heartbreak for the USMNT. Despite clinching the lead against Mexico within the first five minutes of the match, Team USA failed to hold on to the lead as the defending champs came from behind and walked away with the coveted trophy for the 10th time. However, Mauricio Pochettino, the head coach of the hosts, didn’t think it was entirely his team to blame for the loss at the NRG Stadium on Sunday.

“It’s going to be maybe the last game that we’re going to play under pressure,” Pochettino had said about what was at stake for the USMNT with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon. Obviously, his statement came from the vantage point that Team USA would be able to win the Gold Cup Final first. But that hope was crushed, and the coach couldn’t stop pointing out how the team was held back thanks to the match official.

One of the most debatable moments from tonight’s game happened in the 67th minute, when referee Mario Escobar allowed the match to continue despite Mexico’s defender Jorge Sánchez using the ball to get back on his feet after a skirmish with the USMNT’s Max Arfsten. However, the issue that ticked off the fans was that the incident happened inside the reigning champs’ penalty box, making it a strong case for the USA for a penalty. Escobar’s decision proved to be lethal, as Mexico scored just 10 minutes later and defeated the hosts for the sixth time in a Gold Cup Final. Pochettino was justifiably agitated, and his feelings were shared via a post on X by Fox News’ Doug McIntyre from July 6.

“Asked about the possible second half penalty that wasn’t awarded to the #USMNT, coach Mauricio Pochettino didn’t hold back,” the soccer insider’s social media update made it clear right off the bat that the veteran coach wasn’t onboard with the match official’s call to allow Sanchez’s infraction slide. The post went on to quote Pochettino: “I’m not going to cry. I want to tell the truth. And the truth is if that happened in the opposite half, in the other box, for sure it’s a penalty.” 

Mauricio was seen all hyper on the sidelines after the match continued despite Sanchez clearly touching the ball with his hands inside Mexico’s 18-yard box. Clearly, even after the final whistle was blown to wrap up this year’s Gold Cup Final, the coach couldn’t stop feeling like the 10x champions received an undue advantage from the match official.

“It’s like plenty of penalties that are so silly. Silly, yes. The player was with the 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,” Pochettino kept firing in all directions. However, he wasn’t alone in his thoughts. The commentators covering the Gold Cup Final via Concacaf’s official YouTube live stream also suggested that Sanchez’s action was indeed penalty-worthy.

But Pochettino’s frustration wasn’t triggered just because the USMNT was denied a penalty by the match referee.

USA coach points out multiple issues that led to the USMNT’s Gold Cup Final downfall

However, the handball call wasn’t the only issue that Pochettino felt caused the USMNT’s 2-1 defeat in the Gold Cup Final. The coach also thought that the original decision of calling Edson Álvarez’s tiebreaking goal in the 77th minute offside shouldn’t have been overturned after VAR review. The veteran coach also lashed out, saying that if such calls were made against the visitors, “it would be a fire on the stadium,” hinting that the 70% pro-Mexican supporters might have played a part in the ref’s decisions. His players also had a thing or two to say about the penalty incident.

USMNT defender Chris Richards was also left grumpy following the loss. But he, too, couldn’t overcome the fact that the team was robbed of a penalty. “Palmed the ball like Shaq in the box,” Richards said, adding that the Concacaf “hates” the USMNT. While Escobar’s call is definitely up for debate, Team USA fans seemed sure that the referee had it in for the Gold Cup hosts.

The allegations are particularly understandable given that it was the USA who clinched the lead in the match just 4 minutes after kick-off. The USMNT was awarded a free kick following a foul on Patrick Agyemang, which led to a picture-perfect cross inside Mexico’s penalty box by Sebastian Berhalter. Richards made sure the opportunity didn’t go to waste and headed the ball into the defending champs’ net to put Team USA ahead.

Raul Jimenez pulled one back for the visitors in the 27th minute by converting a sneaky pass from Marcel Ruíz. But do you think being denied the penalty in the second half was the moment that broke the USMNT’s determination to win the Gold Cup Final? Share your thoughts with us!