LAS VEGAS -- When the U.S. men's national team and Mexico meet in Sunday's 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, it will be the second time in 56 days that the longtime rivals have faced each other with a continental title on the line. And yet the two matches could not be more different in terms of the relative stakes involved.
Back on June 6, the sides met in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League final, and it was the U.S. in desperate need of a win because, for the entirety of manager Gregg Berhalter's tenure, there had yet to be a victory that confirmed that the team was back on an upward trajectory.