Mexico vs Costa Rica

Mexico and Costa Rica, both boasting unblemished records in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, will clash at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.

Group A stands alone in the tournament, with both teams already securing quarter-final berths for next weekend, unlike the other three groups still in contention.

While the United States’ squad selection sparked debate due to missing key players, Mexico faced no such scrutiny. El Tri arrived with their top stars, setting expectations sky-high for a 10th Gold Cup title, which would widen their lead over the USMNT by three in the historical standings. Anything less would disappoint their passionate fanbase.

Javier Aguirre’s squad has delivered so far, confirming their knockout stage spot with a comfortable 2-0 win against Suriname midweek. Defender Cesar Montes, previously scoring just once in 53 national team games, headed in a corner in the 57th minute and added another goal six minutes later.

The Lokomotiv Moscow player, who also opened the scoring in Mexico’s 3-2 win over the Dominican Republic, now ties Costa Rica’s Manfred Ugalde atop the tournament’s scoring chart.

Costa Rica, once a clear third in CONCACAF behind Mexico and the US, is in a transitional phase, fielding a young squad with 15 of 26 players born in 2000 or later.

Los Ticos started with a dramatic 4-3 win over Suriname, clinched by Ugalde’s 103rd-minute penalty. Their second game proved just as tough, requiring a late comeback for a 2-1 victory against the Dominican Republic, with Josimar Alcocer scoring the decisive goal in the final five minutes.

Mexico tops Group A via goal difference and is favored to stay there, holding an unbeaten streak against Costa Rica in their last 11 meetings since October 2013 (5 wins, 6 draws).