Mexico Wins CONCACAF Gold Cup Before Record Philadelphia Crowd

The Mexican men's national soccer team yesterday won its seventh CONCACAF Gold Cup and third in four tournaments with a 3-1 victory over Jamaica. The final drew 68,930 fans to Lincoln Financial Field, "the largest crowd to attend a soccer game in Philadelphia." Mexico earns a one-game playoff against the U.S. in October for the right to represent CONCACAF at the '17 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia (PHILLY.com, 7/27).

Security guards at Gold Cup matches "seemed at times willing to tolerate anything but free speech." At Saturday's third-place match, in which Panama beat the U.S. on penalty kicks, "guards confiscated a sign held by Panamanian fans that said, 'Concacash.'" The "enduring image of this messy tournament is sure to be a banner held up by Panamanian players that called Concacaf officials thieves and corrupt – an audacious repudiation of regional integrity" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/27).