CONCACAF Gold Cup: Mexico strikes early against Jamaica, advances to face Panama in final

Mexico won't get a third straight Gold Cup final against the United States, but El Tri can say it held up its end of the bargain.

With a 3-0 win over Jamaica in the Gold Cup semifinal Wednesday, Mexico advanced to face Panama in the final, scheduled for Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Panama defeated the USMNT in a shootout earlier Wednesday.

Unlike the Panama-U.S. match, which was scoreless until extra time, it took barely any time for Mexico to get on the board. Jamaica made it too easy for Henry Martin on a cross in the second minute of the match, giving Mexico a 1-0 lead.

Luis Chávez followed that up in the 30th minute with a perfect free kick to give Mexico all the breathing room it would need for the next 60-plus minutes.

The exclamation point came in stoppage time, via a goal from Roberto Alvarado.

While the score might imply otherwise, it wasn't a completely one-sided affair. Jamaica had its chances and didn't get blown away in the time of possession column, but nothing got past Guillermo Ochoa.

A win for Mexico on Sunday would give the team its fifth title in the past eight tournaments. It sits one title ahead of the U.S. for the most Gold Cup titles of any country with eight.