The United States came from a goal down yesterday to beat rival Mexico 2-1 to win their second consecutive Gold Cup. Jose Andres Guardado scored the opener for Mexico, after Nery Castillo had beaten Oguchi Onyewu and put in a cross to the far post, where Guardado was completely unmarked. It was the first goal scored by Mexico on the US, outside Estadio Azteca since 1999. A span of 9 games, Mexico went scoreless against the US outside of Mexico City.
In the second half, though, the US turned the game around. A long ball in to Brian Ching in the box, led to a PK, after he tried to turn his defender, and was brought down. Landon Donovan stepped up and froze Oswaldo Sanchez on the ensuing PK, to tie the game at 1-1. The US grabbed the lead in the 73rd minute on an absolute GOLAZO by Benny Feilhaber, the video of the goal is below. A Donovan corner was partially cleared by a Mexican defender, out of the box. The header though fell right in line with Feilhaber's run, he one timed it out of the air from about 20-25 yards out, beating Sanchez, and giving the US the 2-1 lead. The US was able to hold on, including a point blank save from Tim Howard on Adolfo Bautista, which lead to a US break for Donovan and Damarcus Beasley. The two had missed a breakaway against Canada on a Donovan wiff. This time it was Beasley who missed, putting his shot on an open net into the cross bar.
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