Mexico Beats Christian Pulisic, USA to Capture 8th Gold Cup Championship

Mexico is Gold Cup champion once again after its 1-0 win over the United States men's national team in Sunday's final.

Jonathan dos Santos was the hero for Mexico, scoring in the 73rd minute at Soldier Field in Chicago to help El Tri win the championship.

Combined, Mexico and the United States had won 13 of the 14 previous Gold Cups, but Mexico got the better of its rival this time around to win its fourth CONCACAF title since 2009.

While goals were difficult to come by for most of the game, dos Santos broke the drought off a backheel pass from Raul Jimenez:

Mexico controlled the majority of possession and took nearly double the shots (20-11), which eventually led to the one-goal victory for the road team.

The game was scoreless through the first half, although that didn't mean things were quiet.

Both teams were aggressive out of the gate, with the United States especially having some close opportunities without finishing:

Mexico also had its chances with eight shots in the first 45 minutes but couldn't get one into the net.

El Tri gained more control in the second half, holding possession while limiting the opportunities on the other end. However, most of the shots came from outside the box, which resulted in few close scoring chances against U.S. goalie Zack Steffen.

The squad was finally able to break through in the 73rd minute off a perfect finish from dos Santos.

Though the Americans were able to earn some corners, they couldn't find the equalizer in a disappointing second half.

The team finished with only three shots on goal.

Although both teams likely care more about the 2022 World Cup than this tournament, there were bright spots for both teams to build on over the next few years.

However, only Mexico was able to bring home a trophy after completing an undefeated run through the Gold Cup.