The match was rightfully supposed to bring the heat on the pitch at the NRG Stadium. The USMNT has locked horns with Mexico in the final of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup at the NRG Stadium, one of the largest indoor air-conditioned facilities in Texas. However, no one was probably expecting even the soccer pitch to be literally fuming from all the excitement, literally!

The opening minutes of the Concacaf Gold Cup final between the USA and Mexico were played under a thick haze. During the live stream of the match via Concacaf’s official YouTube account, Fox News reporter Jenny Taft revealed what caused the visibility issue from the sidelines of the NRG Stadium. As per Taft, the fireworks carried out as part of the pre-game ceremony caused the indoor pitch to be covered by a thick veil of smoke.

While the reporter noted that she wasn’t “inhaling smoke” at the high-stakes soccer match, she also mentioned “this haze doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon” during the first few minutes of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final match. Before the respective national anthems of the two finalists played over the PA at the stadium, the pyro works kept the fans entertained for minutes as various tunes played, including Guns N’ Roses’ classic Welcome to the Jungle, blasted from the speakers.

Both the fireworks and the pyro displays helped create the haze inside the Texas stadium, which lingered about for minutes even after referee Mario Escobar had blown the whistle to get the ball rolling. Naturally, the visuals would make many fans claim that the conditions weren’t ideal for a soccer match. But as they say, the show must go on, and it did seem like the USMNT also was determined to let nothing stand in its way to win its 8th Gold Cup trophy. So much so that they thought that singing the Star Spangled Banner with buffed chests would take away a subsequent amount of energy from the game.

Just four minutes into the game, the USA was awarded a free kick following the Mexico captain’s foul on Patrick Agyemang. A pristine shot by Sebastian Berhalter sent the ball swerving into Mexico’s penalty box as defender Chris Richards threw himself off the spot to connect with the incoming ball almost perfectly. Goalkeeper Ángel Malagón, who came into the Gold Cup Final with two back-to-back clean sheets, failed to stop the shot, and the ball deflected off the woodwork and dropped over the goal line, placing the USMNT ahead in the match.

But that elation of having a foot forward barely lasted long enough.

USA’s big Gold Cup hopes crumbled

Mexico made the best of its own free kick when the reigning champs were awarded a free kick following Diego Luna’s foul on Alexis Vega. Edson Alvarez received the ball after Johan Vásquez restarted the play, and Marcel Ruíz ultimately passed it to Raul Jimenez just 3 yards into the USA’s goal post. The attacker didn’t miss the chance and scored his 3rd goal in the 2025 Gold Cup to bring Mexico on level terms in the 27th minute.

The first half ended with a 1-1 scoreline. The second half continued to be a thrilling affair, with the visitors maintaining better possession stats. In the 67th minute, controversy erupted as referee Mario Escobar didn’t award the USMNT a penalty despite Mexico’s Jorge Sánchez touching the ball while defending Max Arfsten. For justifiable reasons, the USA fans were livid, claiming that the defending champs were being favored by the match official. However, the play went on.

10 minutes after the debatable moment, Alvarez found Vasquez’s curler and put it past the USMNT keeper to score the tie-breaking goal. Though initially called an offside, a VAR review awarded the goal. With today’s victory, Mexico improved its Gold Cup record against the USA to 6-2, as the former lifted the trophy for a record 10th time.

This was also the USMNT’s first defeat in this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup, making the loss even more painful to withstand. However, the road hasn’t come to an end. Next big challenge: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Do you think Mauricio Pochettino can help his squad recover from the heartbreak at the NRG Stadium and lead them to the soccer’s biggest event next year with their heads held high? Or will this defeat continue to make its impact felt even in 2026? Leave your thoughts in a comment below!