The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final was a
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
match which determined the winners of the
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was primarily hosted in th ...
. The match was held at
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, United States, on July 7, 2019, and was contested by
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
It was the sixth Gold Cup final to be contested by Mexico and the United States, and the first since
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
. Mexico had won the modern Gold Cup seven times, while the United States had won it six times. Mexico won the final 1–0, the lone goal scored by
Jonathan dos Santos
Jonathan dos Santos Ramírez (; ; born 26 April 1990) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga MX club América.
Early life
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Jonathan was competing along with his brother Gi ...
in the second half, for their eighth Gold Cup title.
Route to the final
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, nicknamed El Tri, were the most successful team in the history of the Gold Cup, having won the tournament seven times since
1993, most recently in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
. The team qualified automatically for the 2019 Gold Cup because of their participation in the
final round
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
of regional qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
The tournament would be the first for the team under
Gerardo "Tata" Martino, who took over as head coach in January 2019 after leaving
Atlanta United FC
Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference.
Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...
of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
(MLS). Martino named his preliminary roster in May, leaving out regular starters like
Carlos Vela
Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido (born 1 March 1989) is a Mexican professional footballer who captains and plays for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Described as a versatile player who can play as a forward, winger, and attacking midfield ...
,
Javier Hernández
Javier Hernández Balcázar (; born 1 June 1988), commonly known by the nickname Chicharito (, Mexican Spanish: ''little pea''), is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. He is known ...
,
Giovani dos Santos
Giovani dos Santos Ramírez ( ; born 11 May 1989) is a Mexican professional footballer. A versatile forward, dos Santos can play as an attacking midfielder, winger, and secondary striker. He is an Olympic gold medalist.
Dos Santos began hi ...
,
Hirving Lozano
Hirving Rodrigo Lozano Bahena (born 30 July 1995) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Napoli and the Mexico national team. He is popularly known by his nickname Chucky.
Lozano began his career with Pachuca, wi ...
,
Jesus Manuel Corona, and
Héctor Herrera
Héctor Miguel Herrera López (; born 19 April 1990) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo and the Mexico national team.
Herrera began his career with Pachuca in 2011 and sp ...
due to requests for personal or recovery time from the players.
El Tri were drawn into
Group A
Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...
alongside
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, and
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
—all of whom qualified through the
Nations League preliminary rounds. In their opening match against Cuba at the
Rose Bowl, Mexico won 7–0 with a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
for
Uriel Antuna
Carlos Uriel Antuna Romero (born 21 August 1997) is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Liga MX club Cruz Azul and the Mexico national football team, Mexico national team.
Club c ...
of the local
LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...
, who was a late addition to the roster to replace the injured
Jorge Sánchez, and two goals by
Raúl Jiménez
Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez (; born 5 May 1991) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Mexico national team.
Jiménez began his career in Club América's youth system befo ...
. The team then secured its quarter-final berth by defeating Canada 3–1 in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, with a first-half goal from midfielder
Roberto Alvarado
Roberto Carlos Alvarado Hernández (born 7 September 1998), also known as El Piojo, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club Guadalajara and the Mexico national team. He is the youngest player to ever play i ...
and a pair of second-half goals by substitute
Andrés Guardado
José Andrés Guardado Hernández (; born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and captains the Mexico national team.
Popularly known as ''Principito'' (Spanish for '' ...
;
Lucas Cavallini
Lucas Daniel Cavallini (born December 28, 1992) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Tijuana and the Canada national team.
Early life
Cavallini was born in Canada to an Argentinian father and a C ...
scored a consolation goal for the Canadians in the 75th minute, cutting the lead to 2–1 before Guardado's second goal. Martino opted to rest several starting players in the final group stage match against Martinique, which saw El Tri take the lead in the first half through a goal by Antuna but concede an equalizer to Martiniquais forward
Kévin Parsemain's free kick in the 56th minute. Jiménez and defender
Fernando Navarro added a pair of goals to win the match 3–2 for Mexico after
Jordy Delem
Jordy José Delem (born 18 March 1993) is a Martiniquais professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for San Antonio FC. Besides Martinique, he has played in France and the United States.
Club career Professional
Delem started his senior c ...
was able to score a consolation goal in the 84th minute for Martinique.
In the quarter-finals, Mexico played
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...
runners-up
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. They took the lead before halftime with a goal by Jiménez, but conceded a penalty in the 52nd minute after a controversial foul on
Joel Campbell
Joel Nathaniel Campbell Samuels (; born 26 June 1992) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a forward and winger for Liga MX club León and the Costa Rica national team.
Campbell joined Arsenal in 2011 and was thereafter l ...
; Costa Rican captain
Bryan Ruiz
Bryan Jafet Ruiz González (; born 18 August 1985) is a Costa Rican former footballer. A left-footed attacking midfielder, he also played as a second striker.
Ruiz is the only Central American footballer to have played in the UEFA Champions ...
scored from the penalty spot to level the match. Both teams had chances to score in regulation and extra time, including a shot by
Jonathan McDonald
Jonathan André McDonald Porras (born October 28, 1987 in San Jose) is a Costa Rican professional footballer for Liga FPD club Herediano.
Career Club
McDonald made his professional debut as a 16-year-old with AD Carmelita, making three appea ...
that was saved by Mexican goalkeeper
Guillermo Ochoa
Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (; born 13 July 1985), commonly referred to as Memo, is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Serie A club U.S. Salernitana 191 ...
, but the score remained 1–1 and triggered a
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. Jiménez, the first kick-taker, had his shot stopped by
Leonel Moreira
Leonel Gerardo Moreira Ledezma (born 2 April 1990) is a Costa Rican professional goalkeeper who plays for Liga FPD club Alajuelense and the Costa Rica national team.
Club career
Moreira came through the Herediano youth system and has only pla ...
, but a miss by
Randall Leal kept the shootout even through five rounds; in the sixth round,
Keysher Fuller's penalty was saved by Ochoa to give Mexico a 5–4 shoot-out victory.
Mexico advanced to the semi-finals to play Group B winners
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, who had
upset Canada with a 3–2 comeback victory in the quarter-finals. Martino was suspended from the match due to yellow card accumulation. The match was scoreless at the end of regulation time despite several chances for Mexico, including two saves for goalkeeper
Johny Placide. Jiménez was fouled in the penalty area and was awarded a penalty kick for Mexico, which he took and scored in the 93rd minute; Haiti were unable to equalize, missing a chance in the 119th minute that hit the crossbar, and Mexico advanced to the final with a 1–0 victory.
United States
The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the primary host of the tournament, were the defending champions of the Gold Cup and the second most successful, with six titles in ten appearances in the final. They have a
major rivalry with Mexico, who they met in five previous Gold Cup finals, winning only once.
The U.S. qualified as another participant in the final round of World Cup qualification,
where they missed the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Following a year with an interim manager,
Gregg Berhalter
Gregg Matthew Berhalter (, ; born August 1, 1973) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is also the current head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. Berhalter previously coached Columbus Crew SC in Major League Soc ...
of the
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...
was hired as the team's head coach in December 2018; in his first four matches as head coach, the U.S. were unbeaten while playing against opponents from Central and South America with experimental lineups. Berhalter's preliminary Gold Cup roster excluded several holdover veterans, including defenders
DeAndre Yedlin
DeAndre Roselle Yedlin (born July 9, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the United States national team. Primarily a right-back, he has also featured as a right wing-back and ...
and
John Brooks, and goalkeeper
Bill Hamid
Abdul Bilal "Bill" Hamid ( ; born November 25, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.
Born in Annandale, Virginia, Hamid was the first D.C. United Academy player to s ...
; in the final roster, released after two exhibition losses, he opted to exclude young striker
Josh Sargent
Joshua Thomas Sargent (born February 20, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward or winger for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the United States national team. In May 2017, at the age of 17, he became t ...
in favor of
Tyler Boyd, who had not played for the U.S. after switching allegiances from New Zealand.
The Americans were placed in
Group D, playing against Gold Cup debutants
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
,
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, who qualified for the World Cup ahead of the U.S., and
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, who had defeated the U.S. in the final game of qualification and prevented them from participating in the World Cup. The United States opened against Guyana at
Allianz Field
Allianz Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Saint Paul, Minnesota, home to Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). Opening in 2019, the 19,400-seat stadium was designed by Populous, during the club's third MLS season. It is locate ...
in Minnesota, winning 4–0 with a first-half goal by
Paul Arriola
Paul Joseph Arriola (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and the United States national team.
Early life
Arriola was born in Chula Vista, California, a ...
, two from Tyler Boyd in his second match for the team, and another by
Gyasi Zardes
Gyasi A. Zardes (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Austin FC of Major League Soccer and the United States national team.
Born in Hawthorne, California, Zardes was part of the LA Gala ...
that was scored with a deflection off his eye. The Americans won 6–0 in their match against Trinidad and Tobago in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, clinching them a place in the quarter-finals with two goals each from Zardes and
Aaron Long, and one each from
Christian Pulisic and
Paul Arriola
Paul Joseph Arriola (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and the United States national team.
Early life
Arriola was born in Chula Vista, California, a ...
. A fully rotated U.S. squad closed out the group by defeating Panama 1–0 in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
to finish at the top of the standings;
Jozy Altidore
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore ( ; born November 6, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club New England Revolution.
Altidore made his professional debut in 2006, at the age of 16, with ...
scored the lone goal of the match in the 66th minute with a
bicycle kick
In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before d ...
after Panama failed to clear a corner.
The U.S. faced Caribbean side
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
in the quarter-finals after the team had unexpectedly finished second in Group C on goal differential. The Americans took the lead in the 25th minute, with a header by
Weston McKennie
Weston James Earl McKennie (born August 28, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for club Juventus and the United States national team. A versatile player, McKennie is capable of playing in a multitude of ...
from , and were held to a 1–0 win in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. The semi-final fixture against
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, a rematch of the
previous final, began with a goal for McKennie in the ninth minute to finish a long passing sequence, but the match was suspended in the 16th minute because of a
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
delay. It was resumed 90 minutes later and Jamaica were initially dominant, but conceded a goal to the U.S. in the 52nd minute, with
Christian Pulisic finishing a rebound from goalkeeper
Andre Blake
Andre Jason Blake (born 21 November 1990) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer and the Jamaica national team.
College soccer
Blake spent three years playing colleg ...
, who had parried away a shot from
Jordan Morris.
Shamar Nicholson scored with a header in the 69th minute to cut the lead down to a one-goal margin, but Pulisic got his second goal in the 87th minute from another rebound off Blake. The U.S. won 3–1 and advanced to their second consecutive final, having conceded only one goal.
Venue
The final was played at
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...
, an American football venue in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois. The venue seats 61,500 spectators and is primarily used by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, but had hosted the
Chicago Fire of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
in the past. Soldier Field hosted two previous Gold Cup finals in
2007 and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, the former featuring the United States and Mexico,
as well as several matches at the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
,
1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the
Copa América Centenario
The Copa América Centenario ( pt, Copa América Centenário, french: Coupe Amerique Centennaire, en, Centennial Cup America; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the ...
in 2016. CONCACAF announced its selection of Soldier Field as the venue for the final on September 27, 2018. The tickets for the match were sold out prior to the semi-finals and CONCACAF held special fan events at
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
in the run-up to the final.
Pre-match
Scheduling
The Gold Cup Final was staged on the same day as the
FIFA Women's World Cup Final, which was played earlier in the day and involved the
United States women's national team, and the
Copa América final. The scheduling of the three events was criticized as an example of women's soccer being deprioritized by
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, who called it a "rare and exciting occurrence". CONCACAF president
Victor Montagliani
Victor Montagliani (; born September 12, 1965) is a Canadian businessman, soccer executive, and the president of CONCACAF. He is a vice president of the FIFA Council.
Biography
He is a former player of amateur soccer club side Columbus F.C. In ...
said that the scheduling of the Gold Cup final had been the result of a "clerical error" and that the conflict was not realized until it was too late to change. The timing of finals for both U.S. teams resulted in comparisons of their accolades, framed by an ongoing debate over a
pay gap for the women's team.
Match
Summary
The match began at 21:15
Central Time in front of a sold-out, pro-Mexican crowd of 62,493 at Soldier Field.
Mexican midfielder
Jonathan dos Santos
Jonathan dos Santos Ramírez (; ; born 26 April 1990) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga MX club América.
Early life
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Jonathan was competing along with his brother Gi ...
made an attempt on goal in the first minute that was saved by
Zack Steffen
Zackary Thomas Steffen (born April 2, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough, on loan from Premier League club Manchester City, and the United States national team.
Ste ...
, but the majority of early chances fell to the United States.
A run four minutes later into the six-yard box by
Christian Pulisic resulted in a shot that was saved by goalkeeper
Guillermo Ochoa
Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (; born 13 July 1985), commonly referred to as Memo, is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Serie A club U.S. Salernitana 191 ...
, while an attempt by
Jozy Altidore
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore ( ; born November 6, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club New England Revolution.
Altidore made his professional debut in 2006, at the age of 16, with ...
in the eighth minute was sent wide of the goal.
Mexico gained control of midfield possession and produced another chance of its own in the 16th minute, with
Rodolfo Pizarro
Rodolfo Gilbert Pizarro Thomas (born 15 February 1994) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Pizarro broke into the senior Pachuca team in 2012, remaining there unti ...
sending a pass towards Mexico captain
Andrés Guardado
José Andrés Guardado Hernández (; born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and captains the Mexico national team.
Popularly known as ''Principito'' (Spanish for '' ...
in the penalty area that was cleared away by
Paul Arriola
Paul Joseph Arriola (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and the United States national team.
Early life
Arriola was born in Chula Vista, California, a ...
.
Arriola had his own chance to score in the 31st minute, beating several defenders to an overhead ball in the penalty area and shooting across from a tight angle that rolled wide past the goal.
Just before the conclusion of the first half, a foul caused on Rodolfo Pizarro caused him to fall on his elbow in an apparent injury but returned for the second half, with his elbow wrapped.
Early in the second half, Altidore was pushed and kneed in the back by
Hector Moreno, resulting in a confrontation with U.S. captain
Weston McKennie
Weston James Earl McKennie (born August 28, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for club Juventus and the United States national team. A versatile player, McKennie is capable of playing in a multitude of ...
, who was grabbed by the neck by Andres Guardado; no cards were shown by referee
Mario Escobar, who was in front of McKennie during the incident.
Five minutes later, a header by
Jordan Morris on a U.S. corner kick was saved off the goal line by Guardado, which sparked a change in momentum in Mexico's favor.
U.S. coach
Gregg Berhalter
Gregg Matthew Berhalter (, ; born August 1, 1973) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is also the current head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. Berhalter previously coached Columbus Crew SC in Major League Soc ...
brought on
Cristian Roldan
Cristian Roldan (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team. He was the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Ye ...
and
Gyasi Zardes
Gyasi A. Zardes (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Austin FC of Major League Soccer and the United States national team.
Born in Hawthorne, California, Zardes was part of the LA Gala ...
to regain control and stymie the Mexican attack, but to no avail.
Dos Santos scored the lone goal of the match in the 73rd minute, receiving a short backheel pass from
Raúl Jiménez
Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez (; born 5 May 1991) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Mexico national team.
Jiménez began his career in Club América's youth system befo ...
and shooting from to beat Steffen.
The U.S. missed several chances to equalize, including a sequence in the 88th minute in which Roldan shot off a rebound from Ochoa that was saved off the line by Guardado with his face.
Details
, style="width:60%;vertical-align:top",
Match rules
*90 minutes.
*30 minutes of
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
if necessary.
*
Penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
if scores still level.
*Maximum of twelve named substitutes.
*Maximum of three substitutions, with a fourth allowed in extra time.
Post-match
Mexico won its eighth Gold Cup championship, including four of the past six editions.
The match marked the end of a ten-match Gold Cup winning streak for the United States that began in 2017.
References
External links
*
{{United States men's national soccer team matches
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
CONCACAF Gold Cup finals
Mexico national football team matches
United States men's national soccer team matches
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
Sports competitions in Chicago
Soccer in Chicago
2010s in Chicago
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
Mexico–United States soccer rivalry
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final