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Mexico has been the Gold Cup champion for the second time in a row.
Elle Tri came from behind on Sunday as Edson Alvarez scored the winner in the 77th minute.
The US first scored in a rather unexpected way. Just four minutes later, midfielder Sebastian Barhalter, the son of former head coach Greg Belharter, whipped with a deep cross from a free kick that Chris Richards headed.
Richards’ header bouncing under the crossbar, angled it well enough where Val couldn’t turn it. They also marked a set piece connection to second Barhalter and Richard as it happened in the group stage with their victory in Saudi Arabia.
This tournament…
Sebastian Chamber Halter with set piece delivery
Chris Richards sends it homepic.twitter.com/1eb2nrdacp
– US Men’s National Football Team (@USMNT) July 6, 2025
But then it was all Mexico with momentum.
The pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute. Midfielder Marcel Lewis slid over a pass to striker Raul Zimenez.
The US managed another big opportunity in the end of the first half, but right-back Alex Freeman couldn’t sneak it past Lewis Malagon.
Mexico dominated mostly the second half, forcing far more defenses than previous contests in the tournament.
The US did well to clear the ball on a defensive third, but Patrick Aggieman often went up to the top, with Mariktillman putting the burden on without a true link-up partner.
El Tori took the lead from his own free kick in the 77th minute. Johann Vazquez flicked the header into the penalty area. After initially dominated by offside, Var confirmed that Freeman was keeping Alvarez.
The US had two chances to equalize with Aggyman and Freeman at the end, but the former couldn’t hit the ball cleanly, while the latter took too long to play in transition.
El Tori took the A-team to the Gold Cup under head coach Javier Aguirre and was the expected champion before the tournament began due to the quality of the overall competition.
The US side of Mauricio Pockettino missed out several key starters and personnel, including Christian Purisic, Yunus Musa, Weston McKenney, Sergino Desti and Foralin Balogun Antony Robinson. The reasons ranged from rest to the need for injury rehabilitation to the Parallel Club World Cup tournament in the US.
For the 2026 World Cup, Pockettino, the next competitive game set for the US, will need to evaluate the players that this run stood out to deserve more call-ups in the future. Forward Diegorna and goalkeeper Matt Freeze were the main standouts, but the decline in quality was evident in certain positions.
Mexico has now won 10 Gold Cups, with the most history of Concacaf. El Tori was also repeated in 2011 as the first champion to do so than Mexico itself. Mexico beat Panama in the 2023 final after the US failed to advance in the semi-finals.
The US has always had seven wins in tournaments, and it was their last victory in 2021 to a 1-0 victory over Eltri.
Mauricio Pochettino is an Argentine soccer manager who took over the head job of the US men’s national soccer team, which Greg Berhalter has left open. There are five things he may not know about Pockettino as he prepares to wear red, white and blue.
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