Although this was merely an international friendly, it remains a great night for American soccer as The Yanks defeated Mexico for the first time at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium. Admittedly, I expected very little of the U.S. as the Mexicans recently won the Olympic Gold Medal, while the Americans failed to qualify. In addition, the U.S. did not bring their full squad while the Mexicans had the majority of their starting eleven. While the Americans did not present fans with a dazzling display of soccer, they converted one of their few opportunities to gain a hard fought victory.
While some will look to make this a watershed moment in American soccer, they should think twice before advocating that position. Tonight's game was another case of the scoreboard not telling the entire story. The Mexicans dominated much of the game. They maintained the majority of possession and were the more threatening side. If it were not for the heroic effort of Tim Howard in goal, this could have been a 5-1 Mexican victory. Howard repeatedly came to the rescue when it appeared the Mexicans were on the verge of breaking the game open.
With less than fifteen minutes to play, American coach Jurgen Klinsmann brought in Brek Shea. This was a game changer. Shea is one of the few Americans bold enough to challenge opposing defenders. The move immediately paid dividends as Shea bypassed two Mexican defenders inside the eighteen yard box before crossing the ball that led to Michael Orozco-Fiscal's goal.
The Mexicans brought a flurry of shots against Howard in the final ten minutes but were unable to put one past him. For the purpose of gaining experience and confidence, this was a great night for American soccer. However, do not let the result fool you. Mexico was the better team. They are the better team. The Americans have a lot of average to above average players, while Mexico has numerous great ones. The gap between these two teams has not been this wide since the 1980's. However, when playing with a full squad the Americans are still a dangerous side and I will discuss this in an upcoming piece.
By Jeff Graceffo
No comments:
Post a Comment