MIAMI, Florida – Whenever Mexico and the United States square off in the Concacaf Gold Cup, it always produces a spectacle, and the 2019 Gold Cup Final was no different.
Played in front of a capacity crowd at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the site of the 2007 Gold Cup Final when the United States rallied to defeat Mexico 2-1, El Tricolor had their sights set on an eighth crown, while the U.S. was looking to pull even with Mexico with seven titles.
It was the seventh Gold Cup meeting between the two storied rivals and the sixth in the Final, with Mexico having won four of the previous five Finals.
The U.S., fresh off a 3-1 win over Jamaica in the semifinals, enjoyed a strong start and nearly scored in the 5’ through Christian Pulisic, only to see Golden Glove winner Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico make a big save.
Three minutes later in the 8’, Jozy Altidore was poised to break the deadlock, but Ochoa did just enough to force the U.S. forward to shoot wide.
However, the best chance of the evening for the U.S. came in the 51’ when a Jordan Morris header appeared destined for the back of the net, but Mexico MF and captain Andres Guardado soared to the rescue with a headed clearance off the goal-line.
It was just the type of defensive play that kicked the Mexico attack into gear.
After a near-miss from Raul Jimenez in the 67’, Jonathan dos Santos would etch his name into Gold Cup lore by taking a slick back-heel pass from Jimenez and firing in a left-footed strike in the 73’ to give Mexico a 1-0 advantage.
With the lead, Ochoa and the Mexican defense took over and kept the U.S. at bay the rest of the way until the final whistle to lay claim to an eighth Gold Cup crown.
For those fans interested in re-watching Mexico’s dramatic win over the United States, tune into TUDN on Friday at 9 AM ET for a re-broadcast.
