Gilberto Mora Sets Up Must-Win Final vs. USMNT: Takeaways From Mexico's Gold Cup Win vs. Honduras | OneFootball

Raúl Jiménez's second half goal was all Mexico needed to defeat Honduras and advance to the Gold Cup Final.

Mexico were battered and bruised after a first half where Honduras tried to impose their hard-nosed style by constantly clattering into El Tri players in actions that teased the line between a yellow and red card. Mexico struggled and the game went scoreless into halftime.

Once the second half began, it took El Tri less than 10 minutes to secure the victory. A stellar play from Gilberto Mora was crowned emphatically by Raúl Jiménez, who got within 11 goals of Javier “Chicharito” Hernández for the all-time goalscoring lead for El Tri.

Mexico could've added more goals but weren't clinical in the final action. Then, Aguirre opted to protect the result and closed the game. Honduras didn't threaten Luis Malagón's goal in the entirety of the second half.

El Tri will now move on to the final where the USMNT awaits, setting-up another chapter of the biggest rivalry in the region.

Takeaways from Mexico's semifinals win below.

Gilberto Mora Is the Real Deal

Boy do Mexico have an incredible talent on their hand in Tijuana's Gilberto Mora.

In only his second start after becoming the youngest player ever to make his official debut with El Tri, the 16-year-old Mora was the best player on the night. When the game looked increasingly complicated to navigate for Mexico, it was an out of nowhere moment of magic from the teenager that resulted in Jiménez's breakthrough, tallying his first assist for the national team.

But aside from his quality on the ball, Mora's personality and character was on full display. He was on the receiving end of three hard fouls in the first half that would've made others continue the game playing with fear. Not Mora—after those actions, he had his fingerprints all over El Tri's most dangerous actions of the night.

With back-to-back starts, it's clear Aguirre sees Mora as more than just a depth piece in the Gold Cup. With Luis Chávez out for a significant time, Mora emerges as arguably his most natural replacement. Through two games, he's shown he's more than capable of holding his own with the national team.

Born in 2008, Mora proved against Honduras that he plays with maturity and poise well beyond his age. If he continues this trajectory, he has a very strong chance of playing in his first World Cup as a 17-year-old next summer.

Mexico Is Harmless Down The Wings

El Tri's struggles in the final third can be explained in large part due to their non-existing threat down the wings.

Roberto Alvarado and Alexis Vega have been Mexico's starting wingers for the vast majority of the Gold Cup. As talented as these two players are, they both are similar in that they're at their best when they cut inside to link with the midfielders and strikers in the central areas. They're not runners down the wing; they like to receive the ball at their feet, not into space.

With both wingers constantly drifting centrally, those responsible of marking them follow, making it a congested area where there's little to no space to create.

The responsibility then falls on the two fullbacks to provide depth down the wing, but neither Mateo Chávez nor Julián Araujo, Mexico's starters in the semifinals, look ready for that attacking responsibility. Furthermore, fullback is perhaps the thinnest position in El Tri currently.

Hirving Lozano used to provide a threat down the wing in recent times, but he hasn't featured for El Tri in over a year. With a year to go until the World Cup, the San Diego FC man should be considered by Aguirre if he can stay fit and find his form in MLS, not because he might be the savior, but simply because El Tri currently doesn't have a single player like him.

El Tri Must Beat the USMNT in Sunday's Final

Mexico needs to complete their title defense and defeat the USMNT in Sunday's final, period.

Sure, its another chapter in North American soccer's biggest rivalry, but take away the historical context and Mexico should be favored to win the final.

The fact is that the USMNT is without the overwhelming majority of its best players that compete in European leagues. It's very likely that the bulk of the USMNT's starting lineup come the 2026 World Cup will be made up of players that won't play a single minute in Sundays final.

On the other hand, Aguirre will have the vast majority of the players that will make up El Tri's World Cup roster available to play at NRG Stadium. Mexico simply cannot lose to the USMNT's B side, constructed of mostly MLS players, or else critics will be extremely loud.

Back in 2021, Mexico's strongest side lost the Gold Cup final to the USMNT's B team. The defeat served as an ominous warning as El Tri got grouped in the 2022 World Cup a year later.

Mexico is obligated to make sure history doesn't repeat itself in the 2025 final, especially when this is the last official match El Tri will play before the starting whistle blows at the Estadio Azteca to kick off the World Cup next summer.

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