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USA vs Mexico – the title of the clash might just not stimulate too much of excitement like that of a Brazil vs Argentina clash or a Germany vs England clash. But things do tend to get tense when these powerhouses from the world of football face off in football matches. History does reveal the fact that things have often gone out of hand as controversies are galore revolving this high-voltage match since their first meeting way back in 1934 World Cup qualifier in Italy.
USA vs Mexico: History of the teams
Football is not amongst the popular games in the United States of America owing to the crazy following of rugby in that part of the world. USA began a premiership in 1921 which lasted for more than a decade only to be terminated in 1933. However, with the passage of time, football has started to gain attention in the American market as well. In these parts of the world, football is called soccer as rugby is called by that name. And once it has become familiar, there have been lots of big incidents regarding the matches involving USA. The biggest rival of the American Men’s National Team (MNT) in football has been Mexico who has a rich tradition compared to USA in this field.
Mexico very much like the Latin American countries has incorporated football as their prime interest in this sport. In fact, record books reveal that they are the most successful side in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cups which is one of the prime tournaments involving North America, Central America and the Caribbean zone. They have won the tournament for 7 times. They also boast of the fact that they are the only team from CONCACAF to win a FIFA organised tournament as they won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999. They also are the possessor of yet another record which is shared by few other nations across the world. They are only team other than Brazil and Germany to make it out of the group stages in the world cup for 6 consecutive times since 1994. However their best performance till date has been reaching the Quarterfinal in both the 1970 and 1986 World Cups, held in their backyard.
USA vs Mexico: History of the Clash
The first clash between the two national teams ended with a scoreline of 4-2 in favour of the Americans. However, since that win in the first encounter, USA has not been able to make too much out of the matches against Mexico. Mexico, on the other hand, has the upper hand over USA in this regard as they have more victories in the subsequent clashes. In all Mexico have won the tie on 34 occasions out of the 66 times they have met, while 14 matches have ended in stalemate. USA has won it for 18 times only. Although the records say that Mexico has the upper hand against their arch-rival, stats of the last few matches reveal something else. Since making themselves big from the 2000s, USA has enjoyed more victories than Mexico. In the USA vs Mexico matches since the 2000s, USA has clinched the tie on 13 occasions while the Mexicans have managed to come out on top on 6 occasions, 5 matches having ended in a draw. In the latest USA vs Mexico meeting, which was also the 2015 CONCACAF final, Mexico has managed to eke out a 3-2 win over the rivals in Rose Bowl, California. Also on the goal-scoring front, Mexico leads USA 136-77.
Controversies have hit the USA vs Mexico clash quite often. The biggest of all has been reported in the year 2004 involving an Olympic qualifying match. Media houses in Mexico reported that Landon Donovan had allegedly urinated on the pitch during practice. However, video recordings suggested that Donovan actually did that in one of the bushes near the practice ground. But things worsened when Mexican fans were heard to be chanting ‘Osama, Osama, Osama’ referring to the 2001 terror attacks in USA. Another controversial incident took place in 2009 during the FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifiers following a 2-0 defeat of Mexico in the hands of their arch-rivals. It was reported that Mexico’s assistant coach Francisco ‘Paco’ Javier Ramirez had slapped Frankie Hejduk while walking down the tunnel after the defeat. But it did not take shape as there were no reports of retaliation.
USA vs Mexico: Preview
The upcoming USA vs Mexico is set to be the 67th meet between these two heavyweights. And USA has already started preparations for the match as their national coach Juergen Klinsmann, the former German international and coach, has called up 26 players for the game. 15 among the 26 have the experience of competing in the world’s biggest stage while a total of 20 have the experience of playing in previous World Cup Qualifiers. Michael Bradley and Tim Howard leads the pack with overall 10 appearances against Mexico.
Regarding the team selection Klinnsman has gone on record to say, “Obviously the Mexico clash is a six-pointer to start the Hexagonal right away,” said Klinsmann. “We badly want to continue the tradition of beating them in Columbus. Having 26 players coming in gives us many different options for both games. It allows us to evaluate certain players, like a Jermaine Jones, to see how far he has come along fitness wise. Bringing in the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Lynden Gooch and Caleb Stanko proves that the younger players are pushing through.”
However, much has not been revealed regarding the team news of the Mexican national team. But players like Javier Hernandez, Oribe Peralta, Giovani dos Santos, Hector Moreno, Rafael Marquez and Andres Guardado all set to make the squad. Javier Hernandez, nicknamed as ‘Chicharito’ is definitely going to be the biggest bet for the Mexican coach to give a result in favour of Mexico. The experience of Rafael Marquez and Andres Guardado is also going to be a significant factor in the match.
USA vs Mexico: Team News
USA will be upbeat to get the better of their arch-rival Mexico in their own backyard yet again. And considering the fact that match is scheduled to take place at the Colombus, it can be said that it is going to be really tough for Mexico. Columbus has been a fortress for USA when it comes to USA vs Mexico games as the El Trio has never managed to get a win on this ground. Rather they have been humiliated 2-0 on every occasion that they have USA here. And it has led to the grounding up of the term Dos a cero which means 2-0.
However, it remains to be seen whether USA succeeds to maintain yet another Dos a cero. For that, it has been tipped that Juergen Klinsmann has called up 26 players for the selection before the match. Tim Howard will be playing under the bars which are a great thing to keep the cero. To make it Dos, USA will depend on Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore since Clint Dempsey has been sidelined for an indefinite time with an irregular heartbeat. However, Altidore seems to be a great bet for USA to clinch this encounter yet again against Mexico.
For Mexico, it will be a task cut out for the forwards as their manager Juan Carlos Osorio preferring to play in 3-3-3-1 style with a lone man upfront. Jonathan dos Santos has been called back into the team, but there is no assurance whether there he will feature in the playing eleven. if he doesn’t start, Andres Guardado might be forced down to the midfield zone to play beside Rafa Marquez. Both of them being quite capable of controlling the game from their own half will have to play up to their potential to set their rolling. Javier Hernandez might get the call upfront, and his team will be looking forward to his sneaky runs behind the defence.
However, the key player for Mexico might just turn out to be a defender. And that man could be Hector Moreno. He is the man who looks quite sure to feature in the playing, and it will be interesting to find out how he keeps the runs of USA’s key man upfront Altidore under check. Moreno could just turn out to be the key man for Mexico in this USA vs Mexico clash despite the El Trio having talented players upfront. On the other hand, Tim Howard might turn out to be an important man in this USA vs Mexico clash as there will be times when Mexico’s forwards will be able to break through the defence. His pair of hands will be very crucial for USA to keep it a cero.
USA Squad: Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough), Ethan Horvath (Molde), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), William Yarbrough (Club Leon), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Bobby Wood (Hamburg)
Mexico Squad: Guillermo Ochoa (Granada), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Jesus Corona (Mexico), Rafa Marquez (Atlas), Nestor Araujo (Santos Laguna), Diego Reyes (Espanyol), Hector Moreno (PSV Eindhoven), Oswaldo Alanis (Chivas), Hugo Ayala (Tigres), Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina), Miguel Layun (Porto), Jonathan dos Santos (Villarreal), Orbelin Pineda (Chivas), Jesus Dueñas (Tigres), Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven0, Hector Herrera (Porto), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt)m, Raul Jimenez (Benfica), Hirving Lozano (Pachuca), Jesus Corona (Porto), Jurgen Damm (Tigres), Oribe Peralta (Club América), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad)
Predicted starting XIs:
USA: Howard; Yedlin, Gonzalez, Brooks, Johnson; Pulisic, Bradley, Jones, Bedoya; Wood, Altidore.
Mexico: Talavera, Salcedo, Reyes, Moreno; Herrera, Marquez, Guardado; G. Dos Santos, Fabian, J. Dos Santos, Hernandez.
USA vs Mexico: Match Details
Date: November 11, 2016
Venue: MAPFRE Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Kick-off Time: 7:45 PM ET; 6:15 AM IST (next day)
USA vs Mexico: TV Guide and Live Streaming
TV Listings: Match will be telecasted live in USA only on Fox Sports 1 and Univision.
Online Streaming: The live streaming of the match will be available on Fox Sports Go and Fox Sports 2 Go
Wrap up
A lot will be at stake as the two biggest nations from CONCACAF are set to meet at the Columbus. Fans will herd towards the stadium in number. The atmosphere is also expected to be an electrifying one. What the teams have in their tank is subject to revelation. And for further updates on the USA vs Mexico clash, you need to keep your eyes here.
