GOLD CUP CHAMPIONS! USA 2, MEX 1

The United States successfully defended their Gold CUp title with a 2-1 win over Mexico in the final on Sunday. Yet another penalty kick from Landon Donovan in the 62nd minute leveled the score, and a Benny Feilhaber screamer from 20-yards, hit first time, was the game winner.

After Mexico more or less dominated the first half, a sluggish USA had to rely on some suberb defending by its centerbacks Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra to keep the game in hand. The second-half switch of a fresh Ricardo Clark for Pablo Mastroeni gave the U.S. midfield the legs to take control from a hard-charging Mexico. More details/analysis on the match later.

Goals
MEX – Guardado (Castillo) 44
USA – Donovan (PK) 62
USA – Feilhaber (unassisted) 73

Lineups:
USA: 1-Howard;16-Spector (15-Simek, 72’), 22-Onyewu, 3-Bocanegra (capt.), 13-Bornstein; 8-Dempsey (20-Twellman, 69), 5-Feilhaber, 4-Mastroeni (19-Clark, 46), 7-Beasley; 11-Ching, 10-Donovan

Subs not used: 9-Johnson, 12-DeMerit, 14-Ralston, 18-Keller

MEX: 1- Sanchez, 2-Magallon, 3-Salcido, 4-Marquez (capt.), 5-Osorio, 7- Medina (10-Blanco, 78), 8- Pardo, 9-Borgetti (19-Bravo, 40), 16-Lozano (23- Bautista, 81), 18-Guardado, 21-Castillo

Subs not used: 13-Ochoa,14-Pinto, 20-Arce, 22-Rodriguez


TYH's Patriot of the Pitch: Benny Feilhaber