US - Mexico Soccer Game

[JD]

Anybody plan on cheering the US to victory at the local drinking establishments?

Ole' Ole' Ole' Ole'

[MU B2002]

I will be rooting them on from FL.  Also, the money line is surprisingly low right, -127.

[chren21]

We need to changesomething up in the second half....

[wadesworld]

Soccer?  hairy wet cats.

[🏀]

Soccer could really benefit if they played games that meant something.

[Bocephys]

Nice win for the Yanks, Tim Howard is unreal.

[chren21]

Nice win for the Yanks, Tim Howard is unreal.

Fantastic.  Huge confidence builder. 

[wadesworld]

Fantastic.  Huge confidence builder. 

Just like the confidence booster they got by winning their group in the last World Cup...and then proceeded to suck complete ass and do nothing other than embarrass themselves until tonight. This game will do nothing for US soccer in the long hall.

And what real professional sport has games that end in ties? C'mon.

[chren21]

If you don't like it.  Don't watch it.

[cheebs09]

Just like the confidence booster they got by winning their group in the last World Cup...and then proceeded to suck complete ass and do nothing other than embarrass themselves until tonight. This game will do nothing for US soccer in the long hall.

And what real professional sport has games that end in ties? C'mon.

The NFL does (well as long as you don't ask McNabb). That sport seems to be doing ok.

[MU B2002]

"Nothing but embarrass themselves since the WC?"
You're joking right?

[MU Buff]

They had a rough time adjusting to Klinsmann's style but they have been much better this year compared to last.  Don't forget about their win at Italy in February.  It's not hard for any fan to see they've improved immensely in the last 10 years.  It takes decades to gain interest in the sport and to develop talent and they are headed in the right direction.  It's not like they can just sign a couple players and make a few trades, there is no quick fix.

[ATWizJr]

Huge historic win.  Fair play to you, US men's team!

[GGGG]

Just like the confidence booster they got by winning their group in the last World Cup...and then proceeded to suck complete ass and do nothing other than embarrass themselves until tonight. This game will do nothing for US soccer in the long hall.

And what real professional sport has games that end in ties? C'mon.

I have never understood the need for people to come on a thread about a topic that people care about...and bash the subject matter.

[MU B2002]

Exactly. 

[tower912]

Rope-a-dope in the first half, just enough offense in the second half thanks to some timely subs, and great goaltending.     Underline great goaltending. 

[MU B2002]

Chicharito(sic) could have easily had a hat trick in the span of about 15 min.

Howard was huge in net.

[brewcity77]

Just like the confidence booster they got by winning their group in the last World Cup...and then proceeded to suck complete ass and do nothing other than embarrass themselves until tonight. This game will do nothing for US soccer in the long hall.

And what real professional sport has games that end in ties? C'mon.

It's okay to avoid the topic when the only comments you can make regarding it are stupid. So coming from behind to draw Mexico in Klinsy's first game was embarrassing? And winning at Italy was doing nothing but embarrassing themselves? Winning another game in Europe at Slovenia was embarrassing? The absolute destruction of Scotland was embarrassing for us? You don't like and don't follow the sport. Fine. No need to troll it like some sad-sack UW fan who still can't believe Jordan Taylor didn't get drafted.

In my opinion, that was the 4th biggest win for the USA since the 2002 World Cup, following the win over Algeria in 2010, Spain in 2009, and coming from behind to beat Mexico in the 2007 Gold Cup Final. Though I'm not really sure what to make of it. The makeshift backline worked very well. Cameron put on a man-of-the-match performance and Edu was solid enough that he should have a new European contract soon. But the attacking half of our midfield was pretty poor. No ability to hold the ball and never able to take the game to the Mexicans. Despite the win, they were clearly the better side, and it was mostly the combination of heroics from Cameron and Howard as well as poor finishing by Mexico that gifted us the win.

At halftime, I said I was glad it was still 0-0 and that we didn't have a lead, because I think we'd have lost the game if we had been up 1-0 at that point. The perceived gap right now is very real. Mexico is the better side and certainly has the brighter future over the next 4-8 years. What we still need is one legitimate goal-scoring forward and central and attacking mids that can hold the ball. I don't have much hope for the former, but maybe Brek Shea can become one of the latter (though he needs consistency).

We still have a long way to go, but despite being dominated, we still beat Mexico at the Azteca, something no team had done in 5 years and only 8 teams had ever done before last night. That was a huge win, and hopefully can serve as a springboard to romping the group the rest of the way and qualifying comfortably for 2014.

[The Process]

Rope-a-dope in the first half, just enough offense in the second half thanks to some timely subs, and great goaltending.     Underline great goaltending. 

I prefer to call it "other-worldly goaltending."

Those two key saves plus the way he covered the net on some of those close-range free kicks... I love how the announcers on one were at first like "Howard looked beat on that one," but when they watched the replay of the ball sailing wide, they said "nope... he had it well covered."

No wonder why the coach was smiling the way he was after that last goal-line save.

[brewcity77]

Cameron deserves the credit as much as Howard. If not for him, there would have been need for a lot more heroics from Tim.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Any win over Mexico is huge. especially if you have watched or sat enduring a  game in the U.S. where the majority of the 80,000 "fans"  jeered and whistled during our national anthem and cheered for the Mexican side.

[wadesworld]

"Nothing but embarrass themselves since the WC?"
You're joking right?

No, I'm not. They won a "friendly" (aka, exhibition, aka meaningless game) over the 18th ranked team in the world last night. They're ranked 36th in the world behind the likes of world soccer powerhouse Bosnia. They failed to qualify for the Olympics. USA men's soccer is and will continue to be a joke.

[BM1090]

No, I'm not. They won a "friendly" (aka, exhibition, aka meaningless game) over the 18th ranked team in the world last night. They're ranked 36th in the world behind the likes of world soccer powerhouse Bosnia. They failed to qualify for the Olympics. USA men's soccer is and will continue to be a joke.

Yet you conveniently leave out wins at Italy, at Slovenia, at Panama, Venezuela, and Scotland. The USMNT is 6-2-1 since the start of the year. Hardly a joke.

[ATWizJr]

No, I'm not. They won a "friendly" (aka, exhibition, aka meaningless game) over the 18th ranked team in the world last night. They're ranked 36th in the world behind the likes of world soccer powerhouse Bosnia. They failed to qualify for the Olympics. USA men's soccer is and will continue to be a joke.

Du**k . 

[MerrittsMustache]

What is a "friendly" the equivalent to in other sports? I don't mean this sarcastically or anything. I'm not a soccer fan so I'm genuinely curious. Is it like a big non-conference game for Marquette bball? Is it like a regular season NFL game?

[GGGG]

It's mostly like an exhibition game.  It doesn't count for anything (eg, World Cup qualification) but is important because it allows national teams to get experience playing with one another before the players head back to Europe for leagues that start this weekend.  Later this fall, I believe there are two off weekends in Euro Leagues to allow for four World Cup qualification games...one in Sept and the other in Oct.

[MU Buff]

No, I'm not. They won a "friendly" (aka, exhibition, aka meaningless game) over the 18th ranked team in the world last night. They're ranked 36th in the world behind the likes of world soccer powerhouse Bosnia. They failed to qualify for the Olympics. USA men's soccer is and will continue to be a joke.

You say friendlies are meaningless and then you cite their world ranking which takes into account friendly matches.  There's been a lot of criticism about the world rankings because of how experts view teams compared to where they are in the rankings.  They've made it to the World Cup 6 straight times and have made it past the group stage in 3 of the last 5.  Compare that to the 60 years before 1990 and how they made the World Cup only 3 times.  In my mind, that's no joke and shows the improvements they're making.

[Hards Alumni]

You say friendlies are meaningless and then you cite their world ranking which takes into account friendly matches.  There's been a lot of criticism about the world rankings because of how experts view teams compared to where they are in the rankings.  They've made it to the World Cup 6 straight times and have made it past the group stage in 3 of the last 5.  Compare that to the 60 years before 1990 and how they made the World Cup only 3 times.  In my mind, that's no joke and shows the improvements they're making.

exactly.  While it may be an exhibition match, ask the Mexican players and fans if they think it doesn't matter.

And now something a bit more light hearted...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HhA2OQaLt8&feature=player_embedded

[brewcity77]

What is a "friendly" the equivalent to in other sports? I don't mean this sarcastically or anything. I'm not a soccer fan so I'm genuinely curious. Is it like a big non-conference game for Marquette bball? Is it like a regular season NFL game?

I really don't think there's any good comparison. I suppose you could consider it a non-conference game, that's probably closest. But there are degrees of friendlies. Are both sides at full strength, is it just a run-out for youngsters, how big a rivalry is the match...they do matter, as indicated by their impact on the FIFA rankings. Honestly, USA/Mexico is a game that always matters, no matter the level, no matter the location, no matter the participants. This game is always a grudge match. And winning on Mexican soil for the first time in 75 years, for the first time in 25 appearances at the Azteca, and becoming only the 9th team in history to beat Mexico there, yes, it certainly matters.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

This is a HUGE deal, I agree and anyone who thinks these "friendlies" are just that hasn't seen the bags of urine and batteries thrown at our players there and elsewhere in south america.

[JWags85]

This is a HUGE deal, I agree and anyone who thinks these "friendlies" are just that hasn't seen the bags of urine and batteries thrown at our players there and elsewhere in south america.

Whenever we play at Azteca, I have the video of Donovan taking a corner surrounded by police in riot gear holding up shields to protect him from the raining projectiles.  Fans at that stadium are just animals.

[jesmu84]

This was an outstanding win, no doubt about it. If nothing else, simply winning at Azteca was huge in itself.  Take into account too that the US team brought the "B" squad and Mexico was nearly at "A" level, and it's even more impressive. Friendly or not, the Mexican players and fans were expecting to win this.

At halftime, I said I was glad it was still 0-0 and that we didn't have a lead, because I think we'd have lost the game if we had been up 1-0 at that point. The perceived gap right now is very real. Mexico is the better side and certainly has the brighter future over the next 4-8 years. What we still need is one legitimate goal-scoring forward and central and attacking mids that can hold the ball. I don't have much hope for the former, but maybe Brek Shea can become one of the latter (though he needs consistency).

If we're talking about present team and 2014 players (not the distant future), Brek is definitely going to be around. Add in M. Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore (on a tear in club right now) and possibly Holden and you've got a ton more talent in the midfield/attacking roles. I still am flummoxed why Klinsman keeps trotting out the likes of Danny Williams, Jose Torres, Beasley or Zusi and won't give the incredibly creative and willing F. Adu a shot.  I think Boyd is also going to be a great player going forward. Also feels so unfortunate that Herculez Gomez is old - he seems to have just realized his potential.