U.S. men come up short in Gold Cup final as women go global

Jul 7, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; United States forward Paul Arriola (7) reacts after losing to Mexico in the championship match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament at Soldier Field. Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) - The contrast in competitiveness between the United States women and men's teams was starkly exposed on Sunday when the former won a fourth World Cup and the latter went down to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.

The 1-0 loss for the men in a regional competition the U.S. had won six times before was a missed opportunity to take a big step forward under Gregg Berhalter, who was leading the team in his first tournament as coach.