USMNT fall to Mexico for Second Straight Gold Cup Final loss

In two CONCACAF Gold Cup finals the U.S. Men's National Team has not only been outscored 9-2 but has also been demoted to the second best team in their region.

Many USMNT fans thought the 2-0 early lead had all but ensured the return of the Gold Cup trophy to the Americans but an injury to defender Steve Cherundolo and a nonstop attack by the Mexicans lead by Chichirito (MVP) and Dos Santos resulting in 4 unanswered goals culminating in an embarrassing 4-2 loss in the 2011 Gold Cup Final in Pasadena, CA.

The lone bright spot for the U.S. besides the two early scores would have to be the surprise play of the once forgotten Freddy Adu. Adu has seemingly put his name back into the mix when it comes to international selection for any future USMNT matches and may well have earned himself a ticket out of the Turkish Second Division with his solid play to finish out the 2011 Gold Cup.

The main questions remaining is did head coach Bob Bradley do enough to secure his job by advancing to the final game and what is the state of the U.S. squad which showed obvious signs of lacking quality striking and defensive play throughout this tournament?