Friday, July 26, 2013

26 July 2009 - Which, Coincidentally, Is As High As I Can Count In Spanish

On 26 July 2009, Mexico won their second consecutive Gold Cupand fifth overallbeating the United States by the record margin of 5-0.

The US were the defending champions, having beaten Mexico 2-1 in the 2007 final, and had matched their North American rivals throughout the earlier stages. Both teams had identical group stage records of two wins and a draw, and both went to extra time in the knockout rounds to reach the final (the US beat Panama 2-1 (aet) in the quarterfinals and Mexico needed a penalty shootout to advance over Costa Rica in the semis). By all appearances, the final looked to be a competitive match.

And, for a half, it was. Deadlocked at 0-0 through the break, Mexico eventually pulled ahead when captain Gerardo Torrado beat goalkeeper Troy Perkins with a 56th-minute penalty kick. It proved to be the key that unlocked the door to the goal, as it was followed in quick succession by strikes from Giovanni dos Santos (62'), Carlos Vela (67'), José Antonio Castro (79'), and Guillermo Franco (90').

The resulting 5-0 scoreline remains the largest margin of victory in any Gold Cup final, beating Mexico's own previous record of 4-0 set against the US in 1993.

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