The USMNT Winners and Losers From the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup
The United States fell short in its quest to lift the Gold Cup, Concacaf’s continental championship, losing 2-1 to Mexico in Sunday’s final in Houston.
It wraps a long summer for the USMNT, one that started with frustration and doubt, led to celebratory moments and triumphs, but ended with disappointment - with their play Sunday night, with the referees Sunday night and even with just how many fans in NRG Stadium were backing El Tri rather than the Stars and Stripes.
B/R Football takes a look at who boosted their stock this summer and who may need to cut any planned vacation short to make sure they’re putting in the work necessary to have a successful 2026.
Winner: Malik Tillman
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Perhaps the player who comes out of the Gold Cup the best is the PSV midfielder. Well, PSV midfielder for now. All reports indicate that Tillman will soon be on his way to Bayer Leverkusen, going from a good league to a very good one.
Tillman wasn’t able to match the high level he showed in the opening matches of the tournament in the final two games, but he went from being a fringe player for the World Cup roster to someone who almost certainly will be included.
Managers always want versatile players, and Tillman demonstrated in the Gold Cup that he can score, create, and also defend in midfield when needed. It's a skillset U.S. manager Pochettino won't be able to say no to as he puts together his rosters, preparing for the tournament and for the big one in 2026.
Loser: Patrick Agyemang
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This was certainly Agyemang's tournament.
The forward played in all six U.S. matches but managed to score only twice, with both goals coming in the group stage. Against Mexico, the 24-year-old looked tired, losing battle after battle with Mexico’s physical center-back duo of Cesar Montes and Johan Vazquez.
Perhaps the other forwards on the roster also are losers, being that Pochettino and his staff preferred to stick with the Charlotte FC attacker, who reportedly is headed to Derby County this summer, instead of giving them opportunities.
Yet, Pochettino made it clear that no player’s spot is guaranteed on the roster for September’s friendly matches.
“You already made the list? You asked artificial intelligence for the roster for next time?” Pochettino joked with a reporter when asked about reintegrating players like Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie who missed the Gold Cup into the squad in the fall. “I don’t understand that question because for different circumstances we have the roster that we have. All the American players have the possibility to be in the roster in September.”
Yet, it seems very likely that any other healthy forward, be it likely World Cup starter Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, or even other players who weren’t on the Gold Cup roster but could play their way into consideration this Fall, will be included rather than Agyemang getting another shot.
Winner: Matt Freese
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The goalkeeper came into camp this summer as the third option, but an injury to Zack Steffen and a rough outing against Switzerland for Matt Turner opened the door for Freese. He walked through it. Even after a bobble against Haiti that was the only goal conceded by the U.S. during the group stage, Pochettino stuck with Freese.
He was rewarded with a superb showing in the quarterfinal penalty shootout against Costa Rica, with the NYCFC shot-stopper pushing the U.S. into the next round.
The battle will be fierce. Freese is still showing inconsistencies in distribution and, at times, still working out where to be on set pieces. Turner is hoping for more club minutes after a move to Lyon and likely will get an opportunity. Steffen and Patrick Schulte both have worked with this coaching staff but missed the Gold Cup with injuries.
Others will also be on the radar. But at the moment, Freese has the No. 1 shirt.
Still, for his penalty shootout heroics alone, it’s clear Freese has earned an opportunity to fight for not just a roster place, but the No. 1 job.
Loser: Being Kings of Concacaf
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Mexico’s win was the first over the U.S. in a final since 2019. Pesky Panama kept the Americans out of the Concacaf Nations League final in March and the 2023 Gold Cup final. While Mexico already could lay claim to being the top team in the region, it now says with certainty that it’s the King of Concacaf.
They’re the back-to-back winners of the Gold Cup trophy and hold the Nations League title as well.
“We’ve won the last tournaments Concacaf has organized, which fills us with pride, with confidence,” Mexico manager Javier Aguirre said Sunday. “There are always things to do better, and I make a lot of mistakes, but I think that in Concacaf, we’ve made a good step forward. I think we’re in a dominant role in Concacaf.”
He’s right. The U.S. won’t see Mexico in an official tournament again until 2027 at the earliest - unless the enticing prospect of a 2002 World Cup rematch takes place. That looks unlikely, for a number of reasons.
Either way, Mexico has a full year of feeling like they’re the top dog in the zone.
Winner: Mauricio Pochettino
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After defeats to Panama and Canada in March and starting the summer with friendly defeats against Switzerland and Turkiye, there were questions about whether the former Chelsea, Spurs and PSG manager really could deliver on the hope fans felt when he was named the manager after last year’s Copa América failure.
A trophy with this roster would’ve gotten fans dreaming again. If the U.S. could win the Gold Cup with so many absences, what would the team look like at full strength? But even the runner-up finish, while it stings now, will soon look like a decent finish.
In spending more than a month with this group of players, Pochettino has gotten to know players in a much deeper way than he would have otherwise. He’s been able to find players who understand his idea, sort out those who don’t and above all has a core group he knows and loves.
Part of the reason Pochettino wanted to take this tournament as seriously as possible was to get that time, foster the family environment and use the only long camp chance to get as much time in with the players as possible. That mission was achieved, even if some key players were absent.
Loser: Mauricio Pochettino
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While there were plenty of things to like about the tournament and the progress the United States made during the summer, Pochettino now will have plenty of work to begin on.
“It’s a massive lesson for us. It’s priceless. It was an amazing tournament to realize that’s the way we wanted to grow," the manager said.
In his first national team job after many years in the day-to-day club grind, he seems to be happiest during these grueling summer days. Despite the travel, the work and the low moments of losing friendly matches, Pochettino has had a cheerful demeanor and generally looks like he likes the day-in, day-out moments with his players.
He won't have that again until September, and the three fall FIFA windows will pass by quickly. The gritty work of watching film, analyzing players, getting calls in between their training sessions and matches with their clubs is coming.
That work would've been all the more pleasant were he to be doing it with the Gold Cup trophy on his desk (OK, perhaps that's not allowed in anyone's home office). Instead, he must raise the spirits of players and the fan base.
Speaking of the players, his next move with Christian Pulisic is a fascinating one. The star attacker opted not to play in the Gold Cup, something that seems to have frustrated and puzzled Pochettino. Will Pulisic be back on the September roster for friendly matches against Korea and Japan? Will he turn back up and have everything be forgotten? Or will this drag on, one of those infamous international soccer dramas - one that the U.S. can ill-afford to have boil over ahead of its most anticipated men's World Cup in history?
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