Why Mexico Wasn't Called For A Handball In the Gold Cup Final vs. USA

Did a missed handball call cost the United States the Concacaf Gold Cup title against Mexico? Not according to VAR.

In the second half of Sunday’s final, Mexico defender Jorge Sánchez tackled the ball away from United States defender Max Arfsten, but when he tried to get back on his feet, he placed his hand on the ball in the penalty box.

The U.S. emphatically called for a handball, but after consulting with Video Assistant Referee (VAR), match official Mario Alberto Escobar Toca ruled that it was an incidental handball and therefore not a penalty in favor of the United States. An incidental handball refers to a situation where a player’s hand or arm unintentionally makes contact with the ball, without the player deliberately handling the ball or making their body unnaturally bigger.

If called, the U.S. would have had an opportunity to take a commanding lead in a crucial point of the match. Instead, Mexico went on to score the match winner in the 77th minute on a goal from Edson Álvarez that, coincidentally, also had to go to VAR.

EVERY ANGLE of Edson Alvarez’s GAME-WINNING goal vs. USA in the Gold Cup Final | FOX Soccer

Mexico has now won back-to-back Gold Cup titles, while the U.S. lost its final competitive match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the Canada, Mexico and the United States.

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