Overwhelmed US Collapses in Gold Cup

The U.S. national team's surprising run through the CONCACAF Gold Cup, its streak of two straight regional titles and its decade of dominance of arch-rival Mexico on American soil all were obliterated Sunday afternoon in just over 10 stunning minutes of soccer engineered by Carlos Vela and Giovani Dos Santos.

The London-based pair destroyed the slow, overwhelmed American defense early in the second half at a packed Giants Stadium, playing key roles in three goals that catapulted the Mexicans to a 5-0 win and a record fifth Gold Cup title.

Based on the very junior varsity lineup that U.S. coach Bob Bradley chose for this tournament, a silver medal was an impressive accomplishment. The team struggled in games against Haiti and Panama, then put together an outstanding semifinal performance against Honduras that raised a few hopes heading into Sunday's final. A strong first half against Mexico, during which the U.S. had the majority of the play and created several good scoring chances, seemed to suggest the teams were at least relatively even. Mexico's roster featured far bigger names than Bradley's.

But the sides were far from even, and Dos Santos and Vela -- Premier League rivals playing for Tottenham and Arsenal, respectively -- imposed their will shortly after the U.S. squandered its best scoring chance of the match. Columbus Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers deftly settled Stuart Holden's 48th-minute cross but curled his open look over the crossbar. Then, the Tricolores were off to the races.

Vela, who entered after haltime, saw his dangerous cross cleared by U.S. forward Brian Ching. Then Dos Santos helped Mexico get started in the 56th, going down in the penalty area when he felt Jay Heaps give a tug on his green jersey. Gerardo Torrado hammered the ensuing penalty kick past Troy Perkins, and Mexico had the lead.

And the U.S. panicked. Although plenty of time remained, the Americans began playing as if they had three minutes to score instead of 30. With desperate players pushed up looking for openings, there was little shape or organization and even less opportunity for the sort of composed possession that would have restored the equilibrium they enjoyed in the first half.

"The penalty kick took the wind out of our sails a little bit. From there on we were just trying to push forward and catch the game," Holden told Fox Soccer Channel.

Mexico poured forward. Perkins made three point blank saves in quick succession, but could do nothing about a 62nd-minute play started by a long ball over the top to Vela. His hard cut to his right left both Clarence Goodson and Chad Marshall flailing. Perkins got to Vela's shot and the subsequent rebound, but Dos Santos was there to tap in.

Bradley inserted both Santino Quaranta and Kenny Cooper, but Mexico was up 3-0 five minutes later. Dos Santos beat three U.S. defender with a simple through ball, and Vela deftly chipped a shot just over Perkins and inside the right post.

The Americans could do nothing to slow Vela, Dos Santos and the Mexicans.

"I think we ran out of legs to tell you the truth," Ching told FSC. "It was a long tournament, a lot of young guys. It's a lot of games for a lot of guys pretty quick. I think we fell apart mentally. Once they scored we let down a little bit. Have to give credit to them. They finished their opportunities."

Mexico added to their total in the 79th and 90th minutes -- Holden said "They ran up the score a little bit" -- and earned a victory their fans undoubtedly will use to counter the "Dos a Cero" chants that have become popular among American supporters.

Certainly the result leaves one wondering whether Bradley should have called in some of the other players he had available. CONCACAF gave the U.S. the opportunity to use an expanded roster because of the team's Confederations Cup commitment, and not only did Bradley not make use of all those extra players, he sent others back to their clubs during the tournament. Would Sunday's final have looked different with Jozy Altidore, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Freddy Adu, Jonathan Bornstein and Steve Cherundolo on the field? Undoubtedly.

"Maybe it was a lack of experience in some big games. We kind of lost our cool a little bit," Ching said.

However, it's hard to fault Bradley for his decision. Some of the aforementioned players needed a break, others likely wanted to spend preseason with their clubs, and a coach known for his loyalty and commitment to his players likely would have bristled at the thought of sitting those who helped the U.S. reach the final. It would have sent a message that Bradley would have found distasteful. The cost of that decision was the end of several nice streaks (including the 58-game home unbeaten run against regional opponents) and the Gold Cup trophy, but obviously CONCACAF's decision to hold the competition every two years will render every other tournament somewhat meaningless. This was an event played in the middle of World Cup qualifying, with many key players left behind and with no Confederations Cup berth at stake. It would have been nice to win, but losing is no reason for despair.

And as both Ching and Holden said, there's a big game on Aug. 12 at which the U.S. could turn the tables. Mexico's win on Sunday was satisfying, an American triumph at Azteca would be historic.

"We have another crack at them in two weeks and it's going to be a different ball game," Ching promised.