The United States men sent a B squad to the CONCACAF Gold Cup and earned B-type results, losing the final to archrival Mexico. They showed a national team needs more than just effort to win the biggest games.

Heading into Sunday's Concacaf Gold Cup final, the vibe around the U.S. men's national team was as optimistic as it had been in at least a year, if not longer. From head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his roster made up mostly of fresh faces,

The USMNT's first chance to win a trophy under coach Mauricio Pochettino slipped away as they played poorly against Mexico in the Gold Cup final.