'Homie palmed the ball like Shaq in the box' - Chris Richards, Mauricio Pochettino knock officiating in USMNT's Gold Cup loss to Mexico, including suspect handball

HOUSTON - The USMNT's run in the Gold Cup came to a sudden end Sunday night, as they couldn't sustain an early lead and lost 2-1 to Mexico - the sixth time El Tri have prevailed in the eight meetings between the two nations in this tournament's final.

In the view of USMNT star defender Chris Richards and manager Mauricio Pochettino, the outcome was affected by a series of poor officiating decisions. The biggest controversy came in the 66th minute, when Mexico's Jorge Sanchez appeared to grab the ball as he fell forward in the U.S. box. No handball was called.

"Homie palmed the ball like Shaq in the box," Richards said after the match, referencing former NBA superstar big man Shaquille O'Neal. "That's CONCACAF for you - they hate us. But we have to just keep moving with it."

Pochettino agreed, suggesting the referees played to the crowd at NRG Stadium - which was largely in support of Mexico

"I want to tell the truth. The truth is that if that happened in the opposite half, in the other box, it's for sure a penalty," the manager said. "We cannot talk about rules. You say it's a silly penalty, and plenty of penalties are so silly. He was a player with the knee on the floor, and he pushed his hand over the ball.

"It's an excuse now, but if that was a penalty, maybe it's 2-1 for us, and maybe we are now celebrating with the trophy. I's not about crying or complaining or to put excuses on different things. But at the same time, we continue talking. For me, it was embarrassing to see that situation and it's a shame because 70,000 people giving this penalty, it's not easy. Maybe against [us], it's a bit easier."

The match was the final competitive game for both the U.S. and Mexico ahead of the 2026 World Cup, so there was plenty at stake for both sides. Mexico lifted their historic 10th trophy, and the U.S. will be wondering "what if" after taking an early 1-0 lead on Richards' fourth-minute goal.

The USMNT have lost both of their matches to Mexico since Pochettino took the job last September, and finished fourth in the Nations League final. Mexico, under Javier Aguirre, won both the Nations League and the Gold Cup.

Pochettino gave full credit to Aguirre and El Tri, but also said the suspect rulings cannot be ignored.

"I am the first to say we need to improve. I am not crying," he said. "I am not saying anything against Mexico. I respect Mexico, full respect, and I congratulated them from the beginning. I only say that if that happened against Mexico, the coach, the people, and the players would be talking the same way.

"For us, it's OK because we are nice guys. We need to tell the truth, and the truth is that we lost, yes, we lost. We need to be critical with us, of course. But the reality is that everyone can see through the TV, and then we can analyze all that comes after."

The U.S. will next reconvene for their September friendlies, with matches against South Korea and Japan.

GOAL's Ryan Tolmich contributed reporting from Houston.