US drop Gold Cup to Mexico

After shockingly going up 2-0 early, what happened next was not unexpected as the Mexicans quickly cut the deficit in half then equalized just 14 minutes later. The second half came around and just 5 minutes in Barerra scored his second of the game to give the Mexicans their first lead of the game. Then at the 76th minute absolute individual brilliance by Giovanni Dos Santos was shown as he played keep away all by himself from Howard and the US defense and then put the icing on the cake as he sent a cheeky lob that glided into the top corner just over the outstretched head of Eric Lichaj. 4-2 Mexico.

You must be wondering what went wrong for the United States after the brilliant start they had. The first blow came when the most consistent performer in right back Steve Cherundulo sprained his ankle and was replaced by Jonathon Bornstein who hasn't played a minute in this tournament prior to this game. He seemed as if he was lost on the field and this led to the first two goals by the visitors. He was first choice by coach Bradley and it proved to be the big mistake of the game. He was already in hot water as he decided to start Freddy Adu who hasn't started in two years in a US uniform nonetheless who only played 24 minutes in the semis. However that was a bold, bright, and brave decision as it paid off since he assisted Bradley's goal off a corner and gave Dempsey the ball before he sent Donovan en route to scoring their second.

While the game was at 3-2, Clint Dempsey struck a shot off the crossbar and if that somehow went in, it could have been a completely different game. The US were demoralized at the fact the gave up 3 unanswered goals and after that one shot didn't equalize the game, Giovanni Dos Santos made matters worse when he outclassed the home defense and scored the goal of the tournament contender.

The US need to rebuild their confidence ahead of World Cup qualifiers set to begin in September. This was a tough loss but the US can bounce back if they once again find their rhythm and hopefully get healthy.

Mexico's side is predominantly made up of European based players who bring a vast amount of experience to the field. Mexico can only get better but becoming good enough to contend with the world powers in Argentina, Brazil, or Spain is still a concern they may have.

The US just lost two straight Gold Cup finals at home to Mexico. If they can't defeat their arch rivals at home it seems unlikely they will beat them anywhere else. All in all they started out brightly but the attacking style of El Tri took over and ultimately won the game for the visitors. The US will have time to work things out and hopefully produce a better future for US Soccer.