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In this episode, Santiago and Hal recap #Mexico’s win against #Panama for the 2023 #GoldCup Final. Messi is presented in Miami.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Hal Phillips – @mandarinhal
Mexico 1 Panama 0
Eight months and two coaches after Mexico crashed out of an embarrassing World Cup, most of the same players triumphantly raised the CONCACAF Gold Cup amid confetti and raucous cheers Sunday night.
El Tri has reversed its fortunes with stunning speed, and its winning goal at SoFi Stadium came on an end-to-end play that was every bit as dramatic.
Late substitute Santiago Giménez scored after an electrifying sprint in the 88th minute, and Mexico won the Gold Cup for the record ninth time with a 1-0 victory over Panama.
After Edson Álvarez slid to block Iván Anderson’s cross in the Mexico penalty area, Orbelín Pineda dribbled away and made a tremendous pass into the center circle. Giménez, the 22-year-old Feyenoord forward, dribbled past Harold Cummings and outraced Cummings and Fidel Escobar into the penalty area.
Mexico, which allowed just two goals in its matches, has won this tournament more than all other nations combined. The U.S. has seven Gold Cup titles and Canada one.
Messi presented in Miami
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami was unveiled to the world on Sunday night in a celebration at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. His former Barcelona teammate, Sergio Busquets, was also unveiled in what was a rain-soaked night that saw the events delayed. David Beckham helped usher in Messi’s arrival that he called bigger than his own arrival that helped mold Major League Soccer but we’ve yet to see what Messi’s impact will be on the pitch.
Given the number 10 as expected, Messi was welcomed by many familiar faces in a video that featured United States women’s national team star Alex Morgan, U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter, NFL legend Tom Brady, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, D.J. Khaled, Argentina tennis legend Juan Manuel Del Potro and more.
Busquets was presented with the No. 5 jersey.