Associated Press
Mexico's players celebrate their Gold Cup triumph over the U.S.
John Smallwood: Mexico has its win of the century in Gold Cup soccer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - This was a big game. Not as big as the World Cup qualifying match between the United States and Mexico in Mexico City next month will be, but big nonetheless.
For Mexico, yesterday's CONCACAF Gold Cup final was a chance to end a string of disheartening setbacks in the continental United States that has seen it lose its seat at the top of the region.
Even though it was playing the equivalent of a United States "C" team for the championship of CONCACAF, Mexico knew a victory would go a long way toward soothing the psychological scars inflicted on the nation by going 0-8-2 in its previous 10 matches in this country.
From 1934, when the nations first played, until 2000 Mexico had almost complete mastery of the U.S.
But since the turn of the century, the USA had turned the tide, going 10-2-2, including a 2-0 beatdown in the knockout second round of 2002 World Cup that sent Mexico into a collective malaise.
After a decade of playing second fiddle to the United States, Mexican fans were looking for a little redemption. And with at least 90 percent of the 79,156 fans at Giants Stadium supporting Mexico, it was clear that they didn't care if it came against a team of American C-listers.
For at least 1 day, Mexico is back on top of CONCACAF.
Sparked by Giovani Dos Santos, Mexico kicked the door open in the second half and rolled to a 5-0 victory.
Once they got the upper hand, the Mexicans took out a decade's worth of frustration on an overwhelmed USA team. With all those supporters egging them on, El Tri would have scored 10 goals if it could have.
It was Mexico's first win in the United States since a 2-1 victory in San Diego on March 13, 1999.
It also gave Mexico its first Gold Cup title since 2003. El Tri ended the USA's streak of two consecutive Gold Cups and has now won five of the 10 tournaments; the United States has won four.
The loss was also the first for the United States at home in 59 games against CONCACAF opponents.
"There's no doubt that you want competitors," USA coach Bob Bradley said. "We are competitors. When you have a game that feels like this at the end, you don't forget.
"Hopefully, we can use it in a way that we're better from it today."
With the Gold Cup sandwiched between the FIFA Confederations Cup and several World Cup qualifiers in August, Bradley brought a young and inexperienced team into the competition. And when the few European-based players on the roster left to begin training with their club teams, the U. S. took a team of Major League Soccer players into the knockout stage.
It was a good opportunity for these players, seven of whom earned their first caps and six who scored their first goals with the national team, to gain experience on the international stage. And to be honest, they surprised by advancing to the finals.
And while this also was not the top team Mexico would field for a World Cup qualifier, it was significantly more talented and experienced than the Americans.
That quality bore through in the second half.
The 20-year-old Dos Santos, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premeir League, came off the bench after halftime of a scoreless game and immediately made an impact.
In the 56th minute, Dos Santos was pulled down by U.S. defender Jay Heaps and drew a penalty kick. Mexico captain Gerardo Torrado converted to open the floodgate.
Dos Santos, who was named player of the match, scored in the 62nd minute, then Carlos Velas, Jose Antonio Castro and Guillermo Franco found the net as Mexico scored five times against the United States for the first time since a 5-1 win on Nov. 9, 1980 in Mexico City.
The five-goal deficit equaled the biggest loss to Mexico in the United States. El Tri won, 7-2, in Long Beach, Calif., in 1957.
The nature of the defeat was a difficult pill to swallow for the U.S.
While it's true that few of these players, possibly none, will play in the qualifier in Mexico City on Aug. 12, they are still part of the national team player pool and were representing the Red, White and Blue. They got humiliated, sort of, at home, by their most bitter rival.
"The second half for us is not what we're all about," Bradley said. "The area where we didn't do well enough was our response to the first goal. When you get down, it's about your ability to make sure the game doesn't become a free-for-all, where the other team has all sorts of space and opportunities.
"It's important that we can look hard at ourselves."
It wasn't the biggest game between the USA and Mexico, but it was one that should make an already-heated rivalry even hotter. *
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