The tears told the tale. There were two kinds. The first, and most quickly captured by eager camera operators, were those of veteran Mexican left back Jesus Gallardo, who was unable to contain his emotions at the final whistle. And then there were those of Sebastian Berhalter, the USMNT player face down on the NRG Stadium turf, reduced to a puddle after a 2-1 loss.
For some, those are lasting images of the Gold Cup. It was a strange month of soccer. Interest in the tournament was clearly down - at least, that's what the empty seats suggested. The Club World Cup, held simultaneously in the U.S., didn't help. Yet the level of competition - and abundance of storylines - made it all fulfilling.
Mexico beat the U.S. in the final, and felt like deserved winners, despite having an imperfect campaign of their own. So many people weren't watching, but those that were took in a compelling month of sport. And perhaps that's what matters.
In an ideal world, The Gold Cup should be bigger, more relevant, and taken more seriously by its hosts. But place it in a more realistic light, and consider the context in which it was played, and the Gold Cup can be considered a success - even if there are surely changes to be made for it to wriggle its way back into the national consciousness.