LOS ANGELES — For years the dominant U.S. women's soccer team has been warning anyone who would listen that the rest of the world was catching up.

On Monday, the Americans finally got caught, with Mexico pushing the four-time world champions all over the field in a 2-0 win that was more historic than it was surprising.

"Over the last five years or so you've just seen it," striker Alex Morgan said. "Ten years ago, 15 years ago was way different with the scorelines than it is today. Teams are continuing to improve and evolve and can compete at the highest level.

"From the bottom to the top, there's just not that much of a gap anymore."

Whatever gap remained closed with a thud in a CONCACAF W Gold Cup group-play game at Dignity Health Sports Park, with Mexico outhustling, outrunning, outshooting and completely outplaying a U.S. team that has clearly lost its swagger.

"Mexico was a better team," Morgan said. "Mexico just beat us all around with their aggression, with getting to the first and second balls, with executing set pieces, throws-ins, restarts. Whatever it was, they did that very well."

And as a result, the Americans' lost for the first time in 56 games in California, for the first time in 22 games anywhere and for the just the second time ever to Mexico.

Before Monday it had been 16 months since the U.S. had given up two goals in the same game and 23 years since it had lost to a CONCACAF opponent at home.

All that is gone now.

"It's a historic victory," midfielder Jacqueline Ovalle, whose goal in the 38th minute put Mexico ahead to stay, said in Spanish. "I think this is the start of a new era. Women's football in Mexico is growing little by little. We're making giant strides. We're competing with the best players in the world."

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