USA Ties Mexico 1-1 With A Strong 2nd Half:

USA Setup:

     USA Coach Jurgen Klinnsman set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Michael Bradley as the #10 behind lone striker Edson Buddle. Bradley was not close enough to Buddle, and therefore Edson was isolated up top. He did however hold up the ball well when given the opportunity, it was just that his opportunities were few and far between. Donovan was wide right and Torres wide left. Donovan was the best player on the field Wednesday night for either team, and Torres made a strong claim to be a regular in the squad. Both players were more effective in the second half when they moved into the middle, especially Torres. He is the central midfield player that can create and set up his teammates that the US side had been lacking under Bradley. He had a brief stint in the 2010 World Cup but it was clear that he was uncomfortable in Bradley’s system, which was much more rigid than the one we saw Wednesday night from Klinnsman.

     Beckerman and Jones were the two holding midfielders in front of Bocanegra and Orozco. Beckerman played a wonderful match, doing well to support the back four as well as being aggressive in pressuring the Mexican midfielder to try and win the ball back. Jones was disappointing and it seemed as though his fitness was not up to par with what it should be considering Schalke have already played a Bundesliga match. Cherundolo was steady as usual at right back, while the newcomer Castillo looked nervous at times, hurrying passes when pressured that resulted in turnovers. He did look to attack at times but it would seem as though it is too early to judge him after just one match.

Mexico Setup:

Mexico played their usual 4-4-2. This is the same formation we saw them play at the Gold Cup. Castro and Torrado played as holding midfield players. The strategy was built to attack on the flanks. Barrera and Guardado were the wide players and always supported by the fullbacks, Juarez and Salcido. However, Mexico’s strikers were not Chicharito and Dos Santos who were more involved in the passing game. Dos Santos would often drift to the wing to link up with the wide player. Instead, Zinha and Peralta stayed higher and the US was able to close them off. As a result, Mexico controlled the game with passing but did not create many chances.

First Half:

 In center midfield, Jones was found to be charging out at the ball and trying to destroy while Beckerman sat deeper behind him. In the 5^th Minute Donovan won the ball, passed to Bradley who then passed back to Donovan who played in a cross that almost found a sliding Jermaine Jones. This shows that the USA was playing for the counter attack. Mexico was really targeting Barrera down the right testing Castillo. ESPN Commentator Jorge Ramos said that Castillo is a player who always attacks and sometimes forgets to defend for Club America. But, Wednesday night, he looked up to the very difficult challenge and defended a Barrera well.

     In the 17^th minute, short corner for Mexico and Beckerman was too slow to help Castillo defend the two players. As a result, Guardado had room and fired in a cross that Peralta got a touch in ahead of his marker Michael Bradley and delicately flicked the ball into the corner past Tim Howard. It was an excellent finish that gave Mexico a 1-0 lead.

     The USA was much too passive in the first half and did not apply enough pressure on Mexico when they were passing the ball around. That allowed Mexico to dominate possession and left the US playing on the counter-attack. It was also clear that they were adjusting to a new system, as they looked unsure of where to play their next pass when they did have the ball.

USA Subs Shea and Agudelo and Rodgers Inject Life Into the USA Attack:

     Shea and Agudelo were subbed on in the 60’ minute for Buddle and Jones. The US attack began to take shape as Torres moved into the center. Then in the 72’ minute Rodgers came on for Bradley. This left Donovan and Torres in the middle with Rodgers on the right. With only one holding midfielder on the pitch the US started to take over the game (See Diagram Below)

 The breakthrough finally came in the 73’ minute when Agudelo received a throw-in deep towards the end line. He then played a ball back to Shea who showed off his size and strength to hold off two Mexico defenders and played a ball across goal to an unmarked Rodgers who tied the match 1-1. With Donovan and Torres in the middle creating chances for the two speedy players wide of them and one in front of them, the US drew two penalties that were not called and then Rodgers had a breakaway on an excellent ball by Agudelo on the counter attack that led to a yellow (should’ve been red) and a free kick. In Klinsmann’s system Torres and Donovan had freedom to roam around to either side of the field and move up the field as far as they needed to in order to create offense. It was refreshing to see the US have a bulk of possession even if it was only for the last 20 minutes or so.

Conclusion:

It will be interesting to see who is called in for the two September friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium, as the European based players will be available. It is clear that the US going forward is going to have much more energy and enthusiasm and will look to play a game where they control possession. With that being said, they will need to call in the players that have the technical skills to play that type of game. 

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Preview - US v Mexico - Gold Cup Final

In front of a sold out Rose Bowl and a largely pro Mexican crowd, the Gold Cup Trophy will be handed out Saturday night. This is the final everyone wanted from the start. Not only a spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup is at stake, but also bragging rights between the rivals is on the line. The Mexicans are out to avenge the Gold Cup final loss in 2007; The Americans (although it was a b squad) are out to hit back after a 5-0 humiliation in the 2009 Gold Cup final.
    Watching both semifinals, the matches had a similar trajectory. Mexico and the US struggled to create chances against Honduras and Panama, who defended deep. However, each team eventually broke through the defensive barrier and drive themselves into the final.
US Road to the Final and Tactical Prediction
    The Yanks struggled out of the gates in a tournament where they were expected to cruise to the finals. After a comfortable 2-0 win v Canada, Panama rushed out of the gates to a 2-0  lead and held on 2-1. Then, the US won a must win match v Guadeloupe 1-0 in a lackadaisical effort. In the quarters, the US put in their best performance winning emphatically 2-0 over a surging Jamaica. The semifinals allowed for revenge as they struggled to break down Panama but eked out a 1-0 win.
    Bob Bradley is expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 system he debuted against Jamaica and kept v Panama. (for more info on this system check out our reviews of those matches found on the USMNT menu bar). This has led to a possession style game. Bradley is expected to maintain 10 of the starting XI from the past two matches. The only question mark is Landon Donovan. Will Bradley use him as a super sub, which worked the past two matches, or will he start the match? Sasha Kljestan put in a poor display v Panama and was withdrawn at halftime. For this reason, I expect Bradley to start Donovan in the playmaker role.

Mexico Attack

Mexico Attack - CM drops to form back 3

Mexico Tactical Prediction
    Mexico cruised through the group stages scoring 14 and conceding 1 v El Salvador, Cuba and Costa Rica. Surprisingly, they fell a goal behind in the quarters v Guatemala but rallied to win 2-1. Continuing their struggles in the knockout rounds, Honduras took El Tri into extra time only to fall 2-0.
    Throughout the Gold Cup, Jose de la Torre has used a variation of the 4-4-2. Chicharito is paired with Gio Dos Santos up top. Chicharito functions as the central striker playing in the channels off the shoulder of an opposing center back. Dos Santos has more of a free role, often times drifting wide to play one-twos with Barrera or Guardado.
    Torrado and Castro play as central midfielders. They rarely push forward, often one of the two dropping as a center back when Mexico attack (see diagram). Salcido and Juarez are influential in pushing up high to offer a numerical advantage on the flanks. This system results in Mexico's reliance on attacking from out wide.

Mexico 4-4-2 Defense with Pressure

     Defensively, Mexico wants to pressure the ball. Chicharito and Dos Santos put in a ton of work harassing the back four. One of Torrado or Castro will run at the ball in a ‘destroyer tactic’ (like Pepe for Real Madrid v Barca).
Keys to the Match
- Who dominates the center of midfield – If Mexico stays with the 4-4-2, the US should have the edge in the middle, especially when Dempsey plays in his preferred narrow left position. To exploit this advantage, the Yanks must be calm on the ball and pass through the defensive pressure, instead of hitting long balls. If the Americans are sloppy with the ball, the Mexicans have the speed to recover possession and launch a lethal counter attack.
- Physicality – Although small, Chicharito is a physical striker who can do damage in the air. To combat this, Carlos Bocanegra should be the center back to deal with him. He lacks pace, but Bocanegra should win most of the headers and has experience in dealing with quick players, as he plays in France’s League 1. If Chicharito can play off the shoulder of Goodson, he could wreak havoc. Goodson lacks physicality and struggles to defend in one v one situations.
- Tim Howard – Mexico should be able to get shots on the Yanks goal and will swing in crosses all night. Howard will be needed to be aggressive and collect crosses in the air and also make splendid saves to keep the US in the match.
- Dominance on the Wings – Mexico primarily attacks down the flanks, with Dos Santos floating to the wing, and a fullback overlapping. To contest this, the Americans need Bedoya and Dempsey to track back. Cherundolo and Lichaj may be pinned back worried about defending. This would result in a lack of width in the American’s attack.
- US on the Counter – Most likely, Mexico will have the larger share of possession. Thus, the US needs Landon Donovan to start the match so he can combine with Dempsey and Agudelo to create chances on the counter. To start the counter, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones need to collect the ball and distribute effectively.
- The Crowd – Every player on the pitch (except Juan Agudelo) has experienced intense atmospheres. However, if the match is deadlocked, the pro-Mexican crowd could give El Tri the belief to go on and win the match.

Prediction
    Being die hard US supporters, we would be lying if we said there was no bias in our prediction. Our heart is saying a US 2-1 win with Tim Howard making saves to keep the Yanks in the match and a late counter attacking goal (similar to Dempsey's strike v Panama link) stealing the win.
    However, our head says Mexico will be too strong. Let's face it, El Tri has the better starting XI and, more importantly, have a lethal finisher in Chicharito. As a result, our brain says Mexico will lift the cup after a 3-1 win. (We hope this prediction is a jinx).
     We hope the atmosphere in Pasadena is festive and not hostile between the fans. Also, we hope the match lives up to the hype.

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