Thoughts on the upcoming USA v. Mexico match…

T-minus 24 hours and counting until the most important 2010 World Cup qualifier for the Men’s National Team!  Team USA will face their nemesis Mexico on August 12 @ 4pm Eastern at their own house of horrors, Azteca Stadium.

 

 

With an overall record of 0-22-1 at Azteca, the USA faces a daunting task in securing their first-ever victory on Mexican soil.  The lone result came on November 2, 1997 in a 0-0 draw.  This isn’t a must win match for the USA, as they’re currently second in the CONCACAF standings, but aftering suffering an embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Mexico in last month’s Gold Cup Final you can be sure the boys are out for revenge.  On the other hand, Mexico must get 3 points from this match as they’re currently in 4th place, trailing Honduras by 1 point.  

Now is as good a time as any for the US to earn their first victory in Mexico, but a more probable (and still highly acceptable) result is a draw.  Mexico is virtually unbeatable at home, having only lost one match at Azteca in the last 45 years!  And with 100,000+ supporters on hand, never mind the suffocating smog present at the 8,000 foot elevation, the task at hand will be extremely challenging.  

Here’s a look at the rosters for both sides:

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION 
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 11/7 SO)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 21/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 18/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 2/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 1/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 16/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 10/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 5/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 17/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 1/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 8/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 15/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 2/1), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 30/11)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

Mexico Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Guillermo Ochoa (América), José de Jesús Corona (Cruz Azul)
DEFENDERS (7): José Antonio Castro (Tigres), Aarón Galindo (Guadalajara), Efraín Juárez (UNAM), Jonny Magallón (Guadalajara), Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Rojas (América) 
MIDFIELDERS (4): Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Israel Castro (UNAM), Andrés Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul) 
FORWARDS (6): Nery Castillo (Shakhtar), Guillermo Franco (out of contract), Alberto Medina (Guadalajara), Giovani dos Santos (Tottenham), Miguel Sabah (Monarcas), Carlos Vela (Arsenal)