CHICAGO — A U.S. men's national team that started this Concacaf Gold Cup tournament as an unknown quantity ended it as respectable silver medalists, losing to Mexico in Sunday’s final at sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago, 1-0.
The USA played well enough to match El Tri for most of the evening, but the difference in quality in front of goal was the difference–as it frequently has been when these teams meet. Considering where the U.S. was just a few months ago, it was a good month. But that’s the long view. On the day, defeat by a Mexican side missing several big-name players will be tough to swallow.