There was no Chicharito. No Clint Dempsey. No Rafa Marquez or Michael Bradley. On Sunday night in Denver, the Mexican and U.S. men's national teams met without many of the protagonists who defined North American soccer's greatest rivalry for a decade.
But on Sunday night in Denver, the rivalry was alive and well.
On Sunday night, in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League final, there was fire. There was passion. There were shoving matches, and flying beer cans, and a player injured by one. And there was controversy that hoisted the U.S. to a rousing 3-2 win over Mexico.