Mexico won its second Concacaf U20 Championship in a row after beating the United States 2-0 at Estadio Azteca in the final on Sunday.
The Americans were reduced to 10 players after Chris Applewhite was shown a straight red card for a sliding tackle in which it appeared the U.S. defender made minimal contact on Mexico’s Hugo Camberos.
Mexico already led 1-0 from a Cristóbal Alfaro header in the 28th minute, before Applewhite was sent off after a VAR review.
“It’s a dream come true. Although I scored, this is a collective achievement. I thank the fans for their unconditional support,” Alfaro said in a post-match interview. “It was an incredible experience to win at home.”
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Alfaro added a second goal after the break to seal Mexico’s 15th Concacaf U20 title when U.S. keeper Kayne Rizvanovich mishandled a corner kick and the Atlante player nodded home from very close range.
Mexico finished the tournament unbeaten and only conceded one goal.
The result seals a spot in the 2028 Olympics for Mexico, with the U.S. already having booked its place as the host country. Both teams also secured places in the 2027 U20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan by virtue of reaching the semifinals.
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Mexico beat Canada to reach Sunday’s final, while the U.S. took down Costa Rica in the other semifinal.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
