PASADENA, Calif. — It took extra time and a stunning goal from Paul Aguilar, but Mexico consolidated its position as the best team in CONCACAF with a 3-2 win against the United States on Saturday.

The game was close — interim Mexico manager Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti opened his news conference by congratulating opposite number Jurgen Klinsmann and his team for a well-fought contest — but ultimately Mexico proved too much for the U.S.

The goals were lovely, making up for some slower moments in the match. Aguilar's volley will be remembered and replayed for years, with Raul Jimenez's prayer of an assist along with it. The opening goal showed that Ferretti's decision to play three central forwards together could manifest itself in problems for the American defense, with Jimenez's back heel freeing Oribe Peralta to set up Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez with a simple finish.

It was Peralta himself doing the finishing in the first half of extra time, putting away an Aguilar dish. The United States equalized both of the opening two goals but couldn't match Aguilar's late winner.

Mexico will add Saturday's triumph to its list of close calls in 2015. The Gold Cup victory was dotted with favorable officiating toward El Tri, with controversial penalties coming in both the quarterfinal against Costa Rica and the semifinal against Panama. But Saturday offered a chance to exert its dominance and prove that the Gold Cup win wasn't a fluky happenstance but a true reflection of the CONCACAF pecking order.

"Like everybody remembers, it was a weird Gold Cup for us with a lot of controversy, lots of criticism, lots of everything," said midfielder Andres Guardado, who played 80 minutes in his second match since suffering an ankle injury with PSV. "At the end of the day, we showed we haven’t given up anything. It’s not our fault the United States didn’t make it to the final, it’s not our fault what happened with the penalties.

"We did our job, what we had to do, and we showed today that Mexico is the best in our region.”

That title was in doubt not long ago. The United States won the Hex with Mexico putting on a very poor display in 2013 World Cup qualification. Costa Rica went farthest in the 2014 World Cup. But after a few years of struggle, Mexico is back.

New coach Juan Carlos Osorio will begin the process of putting his stamp on the team shortly, but Mexico went into this cup match with an interim manager. It also had to cope with several key players injured and with two draws the most recent result.

The hard luck brought to mind legendary ranchera song "El Rey," with supporters' group Pancho Villa's Army using part of the song on the tifo it displayed before the match. The protagonist in the song is condemned to wander and has no queen or throne but continues being the king. So too has Mexico toiled and fought, but the crown is still on its head.

The result, coming the same day the United States lost in an Olympic qualifier and Mexico clinched its passage in a separate win, hints at a future in which Mexico can be the undisputed team on top of the region for the foreseeable future.

Hector Herrera, Jonathan dos Santos, Raul Jimenez and Chicharito are hitting their prime years, while Andres Guardado and Hector Moreno don't seem to be slowing down and Diego Reyes and Jesus "Tecatito" Corona are rising stars.

Mexico might just be getting a long-term manager. It might not be the most organized team. It has its fair share of flaws and has needed a fair share of luck, but Saturday night showed El Tri sit upon the throne of CONCACAF, still the king.