Mexico dominant in Gold Cup finals against USA
The Mexican National team will be facing the U.S National team in the Gold Cup final this Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago. This will be the sixth time these two countries will face off to determine the champion of the Gold Cup.
Mexico has four victories and only one loss in Gold Cup finals against the USA. Although Mexico is favored to win, they’ve left us with some doubts after barely defeating Haiti, 1-0, in extra time of the semifinals. The USMNT will be at a clear advantage since El Tri has exhausted themselves after having played more minutes due to reaching extra-time in their last two games in the tournament.
Let’s revisit the five previous times these teams have met in the Gold Cup Final.
1993: Mexico 4 – USA 0
The first final was between Mexico and the US was played in the famous Estadio Azteca, where El Tri took the first victory with a 4-0 win. Ignacio Ambriz opened up the scoreboard with a golazo from over 30 yards out, then an own goal by Desmond Armstrong put Los Aztecas up 2-0 in the first half. Luis Roberto Alves “Zague” and Guillermo Cantu scored goals in the second half to help Mexico claim their first-ever Gold Cup title.
1998: Mexico 1 – USA 0
The Stars and Stripes had surprisingly defeated Brazil in semifinals of the 1998 edition by the minimum of 1-0, reaching the second final against El Tri. The US was at another level of difficulty for Mexico during this Gold Cup, but Mexico claimed their third Gold Cup trophy with the help of a goal from Luis “El Matador” Hernandez in the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
2007: USA 2 – Mexico 1
It took almost nine years for these two to meet again in a Gold Cup final. The US handed the Mexican National team, managed by legend Hugo Sanchez, its first final defeat. Andres Guardado scored to give El Tri the 1-0 lead before the end of the first half, but Landon Donovan equalized with a penalty, and Benny Feilhaber scored the winning goal after a fantastic volley outside the penalty box at Soldier Field as the United States went on to win their first title against Mexico, and fourth overall.
2009: Mexico 5 – USA 0
One of the most dominant games from Mexico against the United States took place in New York at Giants Stadium. After a boring 0-0 first half of the game, the team south of the border came out with a new game plan and crushed the USMNT. El Tri lifted the trophy once again with goals from Gerardo Torrado, Giovani Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Jose Antonio Castro, and Guillermo Franco.
2011: Mexico 4 – USA 2
Eight years ago, Mexico and USA gave an fans an unforgettable finals with exciting moments and great goals. The US were up 2-0 thanks to Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan, but the lead didn’t last long as Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado helped equalize. Barrera scored his second of the game to put Mexico in the lead for the first time. Then, Giovani Dos Santos scored a magical goal as he took on Tim Howard and US defense and chipped the ball into the top left corner.
