26 July 2009 - Which, Coincidentally, Is As High As I Can Count In Spanish

On 26 July 2009, Mexico won their second consecutive Gold Cup—and fifth overall—beating the United States by the record margin of 5-0.

The US were the defending champions, having beaten Mexico 2-1 in the 2007 final, and had matched their North American rivals throughout the earlier stages. Both teams had identical group stage records of two wins and a draw, and both went to extra time in the knockout rounds to reach the final (the US beat Panama 2-1 (aet) in the quarterfinals and Mexico needed a penalty shootout to advance over Costa Rica in the semis). By all appearances, the final looked to be a competitive match.

And, for a half, it was. Deadlocked at 0-0 through the break, Mexico eventually pulled ahead when captain Gerardo Torrado beat goalkeeper Troy Perkins with a 56th-minute penalty kick. It proved to be the key that unlocked the door to the goal, as it was followed in quick succession by strikes from Giovanni dos Santos (62'), Carlos Vela (67'), José Antonio Castro (79'), and Guillermo Franco (90').

The resulting 5-0 scoreline remains the largest margin of victory in any Gold Cup final, beating Mexico's own previous record of 4-0 set against the US in 1993.

30 May 2012 - Cal Cruises Into History

On 30 May 2012, the 99-year old US Open Cup saw one of its biggest upsets when amateur side Cal FC beat the MLS's Portland Timbers.

Based out of Thousand Oaks, California and competing in La Gran Liga de Oxnard of the United States Adult Soccer Association, the fifth tier of the US football pyramid, Cal FC's team included a mix of former professionals and perpetual amateurs. They were coached by US international-turned-commentator Eric Wynalda and his Fox Football Fone-In co-host Nick Webster.

Playing in their first US Open Cup, they started with a 3-1 win over the defending PDL champions Kitsap Pumas in the first round, followed by a second-round rout of the USL-Pro Wilmington Hammerheads, 4-0. That sent them into the third round, where they drew Portland, who were just entering the competition.

The top-flight side hosted the match and dominated it statistically, taking 43 shots to Cal's 11, but that barrage failed to lead to a goal. Their best opportunity came in the 80th minute, when the referee awarded a penalty kick to Portland, but striker Kris Boyd sent the ball over the bar. Then, in extra time, Cal forward Artur Aghasyan--who had played briefly for Real Salt Lake in 2011, making four appearances--found the back of the net, beating Portland keeper Troy Perkins in the 95th minute to secure the 0-1 victory for the underdogs.

Unfortunately for Cal FC, they could not maintain that form and lost 5-0 to the Seattle Sounders in the next round. But their win over Portland remains an iconic moment in the competition.