Mexico crowned U-20 champions after 2-0 win over the United States | OneFootball

Mexico capped off an impressive Concacaf U-20 Championship campaign in style on Sunday, defeating the United States 2-0 in the final at Estadio Azteca.

Thanks to a brace from defender Cristóbal Alfaro, El Tri secured their 15th title in the history of the Concacaf U-20 World Cup qualifiers.

Mexico had already punched its ticket to the 2027 U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan after reaching the semifinals of the tournament, which was held in Puebla and Mexico City.

Then, on Friday, Alex Diego’s side defeated Canada 2-1 to secure a long-awaited return to the Olympics. Mexico will be heading to Los Angeles 2028 after missing out on Paris 2024.

And finally, there was the cherry on top: beating the United States, because apparently qualifying for a World Cup and the Olympics wasn’t enough. The regional rivalry needed one more trophy to make the weekend complete.

The U.S., coached by Gonzalo Segares, never really looked like a team ready to spoil Mexico’s party. They also found themselves on the wrong end of a couple of controversial refereeing decisions, although Mexico certainly won’t be losing sleep over that part.

Alfaro gets the party started

Mexico opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Cristóbal Alfaro rose above the defense to head the ball home.

The Atlante defender was quickly becoming Mexico’s unlikely hero. The 19-year-old, who came through Pachuca’s youth academy before moving to Atlante this summer, had also scored Mexico’s equalizer against Canada in the semifinals before Hugo Camberos completed the comeback.

And now, against the United States, Alfaro was doing what defenders are supposedly not supposed to do: scoring goals and deciding finals.

There was some controversy surrounding the opener, however, as there was uncertainty over whether Alfaro’s header had fully crossed the goal line.

But the controversy was only getting warmed up.

In the 42nd minute, United States captain Chris Applewhite committed a strong challenge just outside his own penalty area. Dominican referee Adonis Carrasco initially showed the Nashville SC youngster a yellow card.

Then VAR came calling.

After reviewing the incident, Carrasco overturned his original decision and showed Applewhite a straight red. The call immediately became a talking point, with the challenge appearing questionable as a straight-red offense.

The United States was now down to 10 men, while Mexico headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead and a very convenient numerical advantage.

Alfaro finishes the job

The second half brought more of the same… and more Cristóbal Alfaro.

Mexico doubled its lead following another set-piece situation, with the ball bouncing around inside the penalty area before Alfaro reacted quickest to fire home his second goal of the afternoon.

The defender had officially gone from center-back to main character.

Alfaro finished the final stretch of the tournament as Mexico’s biggest difference-maker, scoring three goals across his final two matches, including both goals in the championship game.

With the United States reduced to 10 men and struggling to create anything dangerous, Mexico spent the final minutes pushing forward in search of a third goal.

Ironically, the team already leading 2-0 looked like the one in more of a hurry to score.

The U.S. never managed to seriously threaten Juan Liceaga’s goal. In fact, the Americans finished the game without a single shot on target or any major scoring opportunity.

Estadio Azteca, meanwhile, provided the appropriate soundtrack to Mexico’s celebration, with more than 40,000 fans turning up for the final and watching El Tri lift another Concacaf trophy.

Tough End for the USMNT

For the United States, it was a rather miserable way to finish the tournament. For Mexico, it was almost the perfect ending.

World Cup qualification? Check.

Olympic qualification? Check.

Concacaf championship? Check.

Beating the United States in the final? Obviously.

Both teams will be at the 2027 U-20 World Cup and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for another chapter in the rivalry.

And considering how this one ended, the United States probably won’t mind getting another crack at Mexico.

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