Mexico routs the U.S. in Gold Cup final

Mexico is back.

After years in the wilderness, the red, white and green is once again a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field.

Coach Javier Aguirre's team won a memorable victory in front of a largely pro-Mexico crowd of 79,156 at Giants Stadium on Sunday afternoon, trouncing the defending champion United States, 5-0, to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup for a record fifth time.

Inspired by England-based stars Giovani Dos Santos and Carlos Vela, "El Tri" ran rampant in the second half, scoring five times in the space of only 34 minutes.

After playing Mexico on even terms in the first 45 minutes, the U.S. fell apart after the break.

"We ran out of gas, to tell you the truth," U.S. forward Brian Ching said in a postgame television interview.

"It's frustrating. There's nothing else to say. It's a little embarrassing."

The loss ended a 58-game unbeaten streak for the U.S. at home against opponents from soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) region. The last team in the region to defeat the American side in the U.S. was Honduras, in Washington on Sept. 1, 2001.

It was also the first time in more than a decade that Mexico has beaten the U.S. on American soil. The last time that happened, was in San Diego in a March 13, 1999 friendly. Since then, Mexico had gone 0-9-2 against the Americans in the U.S.

"They took their chances well," midfielder Stuart Holden told the Fox Soccer Channel. "They ran the score up a little bit.

"We're disappointed."

Five players scored for Mexico, but it was Dos Santos and Vela, two members of the Mexico team that won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005, who orchestrated the triumph.

Dos Santos, the former Barcelona player now with Tottenham Hotspur, was everywhere, pulling the U.S. defense out of shape, setting up teammates and generally causing havoc.

The 20-year-old was justifiably named the player of the game.

Vela, another 20-year-old who plays for Arsenal, also in the English Premier League, came on as a second-half substitute and he and Dos Santos immediately clicked.

Only a series of excellent saves by U.S. goalkeeper Troy Perkins kept the score from being even higher. Even so, the onslaught underlined the gulf in class between the teams.

The U.S. chose to field a second-string lineup in the Gold Cup, which it has won four times, most recently in 2005 and 2007. Coach Bob Bradley rested the players who had reached last month's Confederations Cup final in South Africa, where it lost to Brazil.