Edson Álvarez found the net as Mexico began their defence of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 3–2 victory over the Dominican Republic on Saturday evening at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The West Ham United midfielder gave El Tri the lead on the cusp of half-time, scoring his sixth goal for the national team to set the tone for a lively encounter against a determined Dominican Republic side making their debut in the competition.

Álvarez opened the scoring in the 44th minute, heading home at the near post from an Orbelín Pineda corner to break the deadlock.

Mexico extended their lead early in the second half when Raúl Jiménez struck, only for the Dominican Republic to respond quickly with a goal from Peter Federico, who fired his side back into contention.

However, the Mexicans restored their two-goal cushion by the 53rd minute. César Montes made it 3–1 with a decisive finish following a set-piece, rendering Edison Azcona’s second-half strike nothing more than a consolation.

With the three points secured, Mexico now turn their attention to their second Group A fixture, where they will face Suriname on Wednesday night.