USA vs Guatemala

Mexico Powers Through to the Semis, Honduras Aims for an Upset

Mexico, the reigning Gold Cup champions, booked their spot in the semifinals with a commanding performance against Saudi Arabia. Though El Tri dominated from start to finish—outshooting their opponents 14 to 1—it took nearly 50 minutes to break the deadlock at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

Alexis Vega finally broke through early in the second half, pouncing on the rebound after his initial shot was saved. Then, deep into the match, substitute Mateo Chavez delivered a cross that deflected off Saudi defender Abdullah Madu for an own goal, sealing a 2-0 victory.

Javier Aguirre’s squad has been steadily building momentum in their title defense, opening with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Dominican Republic, followed by a 2-0 victory against Suriname and a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. Now, they’re just two wins away from a fourth consecutive Gold Cup final—a stage they’ve reached in each of the last 10 tournaments.

But standing in their way is Honduras, a team riding a wave of resilience. After a brutal 6-0 loss to Canada in the Nations League, Los Catrachos regrouped, beating El Salvador and Curaçao to advance. Their quarterfinal against Panama was a nail-biter—down for most of the second half, they clawed back with an 82nd-minute equalizer (courtesy of a fortunate deflection) before winning 5-4 on penalties.

This semifinal appearance is Honduras’ first since 2013, and while they’re clear underdogs, history suggests they shouldn’t be counted out. In their last four meetings with Mexico, each team has won twice on home soil. This time, they’ll face off on neutral ground, with Mexico desperate to keep their title dreams alive and Honduras playing with house money.

Will El Tri march on to another final, or can Los Catrachos pull off a historic upset? Wednesday night will decide.