Playing before a raucous capacity crowd at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Mexico broke through in the 26th minute on a goal from defender Luis Hernandez and collected their sixth consecutive clean sheet to leapfrog El Salvador for top spot in Group A and book a Gold Cup quarterfinal date at 9 p.m.
Pulido and Mexico will meet the Group D runners-up in the quarterfinals, a fixture that will be determined Tuesday when Honduras, Qatar and Panama jockey for position in their respective group stage finales.
Held every two years, the Gold Cup is the regional championship for Concacaf and just like in the European Championships and Copa America, lifting the trophy brings prestige and regional supremacy.