INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- In case Sunday night's Concacaf Nations League finals doubleheader at SoFi Stadium didn't already feel like a throwback, 56-year-old rapper Will Smith was there to perform hits for the 68,812 in attendance that stretched back to the previous century. As it happened, Smith was an apt scene-setter for another former and aging giant, Mexico, which suddenly found itself center stage in the final against Panama and looking to win the tournament for the first time since it began in 2019-20.
Amid the Nations League knockout rounds, it was clear Mexico had lost its shine to younger and more promising acts in the region like the United States and Canada.