Brek Shea was not only the man of the hour in the Gold Cup final but he was the also the man called on just past the hour mark.
With the United States locked in a scoreless tie deep into the second half of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, the 23-year-old Stoke City winger was called into action. The reserve midfielder entered the match at Soldier Field the 68th minute. He scored 42 seconds later.
Wearing a number on his back that fans in Chicago are used to cheering, Shea tapped in the lone goal of the United States' 1-0 win. Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya swung in a cross from the right wing toward Landon Donovan, who was perched inside the six-yard box. After Donovan only managed to deflect the cross, it kept moving across the goal toward the far post. With the ball perhaps already on a track to sneak into the net, Shea made sure by pushing it past Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
"It doesn't matter who scored today," Shea said, via ESPN. "We won."
The goal was Shea's second of the 2013 Gold Cup and nearly became Donovan's eighth. Donovan's seven scores lead the U.S. for the tournament.
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The win was the United States 11th in a row and delivered its first international trophy since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as coach. While the team's run of success -- including Donovan's resurgence -- will largely be credited to the German coach, Klinsmann was not to be found on the sideline during the final. Klinsmann viewed the game been from a stadium suite, according to U.S. Soccer. He was suspended for the final after a dismissal in the semifinal romp over Honduras.
"They wanted to send out a signal that they are the best group in CONCACAF, and they are," Klinsmann said after the win, via The Associated Press. "For today."
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