The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup kicked off with a thrilling encounter between defending champions Mexico and the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Mexico, aiming for their 10th Gold Cup title, secured a narrow 3-2 victory against a determined Dominican Republic side making their tournament debut.

Mexico dominated possession early on, creating several scoring opportunities. However, the Dominican Republic's goalkeeper, Xavier Valdez, proved to be a formidable obstacle, making crucial saves to keep his team in the game. Despite Mexico's dominance, the first half remained goalless until the 44th minute when Edson Álvarez broke the deadlock with a powerful header from a corner kick, giving Mexico a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

The second half started with a bang as Raúl Jiménez extended Mexico's lead just 30 seconds after the restart. A clever through ball from Santiago Giménez found Jiménez, who finished with a deft touch to make it 2-0. However, the Dominican Republic responded swiftly, with Peter González scoring a superb individual goal in the 51st minute. González dribbled past his defender and slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner, marking the country's first-ever Gold Cup goal and reducing the deficit to 2-1.

Mexico quickly restored their two-goal cushion just two minutes later. Another corner kick led to Álvarez heading the ball, which deflected off César Montes and into the net, making it 3-1. The Dominican Republic refused to give up, and in the 67th minute, Edison Azcona scored with a deflected shot, pulling the score back to 3-2 and setting up a tense final 20 minutes.

Despite the Dominican Republic's spirited fightback, Mexico managed to hold on for the victory. The match showcased Mexico's attacking prowess and experience, but also highlighted the Dominican Republic's resilience and potential. Mexico now sits atop Group A, while the Dominican Republic will look to bounce back in their remaining group matches.