USA Beats Mexico

In the early hours of Saturday morning, I got up to watch the biggest soccer match the US Men’s National Team has played in a long team. The team’s biggest rival is Mexico, and the rivaly isn’t just about the soccer match. In most things, Mexico doesn’t stack up well against the United States. Economically, militarily, historically, and developmentally, the United States is superior. In most sports, the United States comes out on top as well. American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and most any other sport would not be a difficult win for the US. But soccer is different.

In the history of the rivalry between the two teams, Mexico has won far more games. This stems mostly from the games between the beginning of the teams’ play in the 1930s up to the 1980s, when the United States did not have a competitive team. From the 1990s on, the matches have been much more competitive, and both teams have enjoyed success. The USA had the lion’s share of that success in the 2000s, but since then it has swung back to being a very even matchup. That being said, the USA has now won the last three matches in a row.

The USA won the Gold Cup final, which is a tournament that is played every two years in the United States, and as such is not nearly as prestigious as other regional tournaments such as the Copa America or the Euros. The USA then won the CONCACAF Nations League final, which is a brand new tournament, and therefore not necessarily very prestigious. Well, now the United States has beaten Mexico for the third straight time, and this time it was a World Cup Qualifying match, which is very important for both teams to get to the World Cup, the biggest tournament in the sport.

The match was a joy to watch, which is the most important thing. In some matches in the past, the USA hung on with teams that did not necessarily have the talent of their Mexican counterpart, but which played their hearts out for each other as a unit. They might have to defend for long stretches, and finally attempt a counterattack. Not today. Both teams played attractive attacking football, and I think that the USA played better in both halves. Their second-half play was decidedly unmatched by their opponent. The most satisfying part of the match for me as a spectator was seeing the coherent passing throughout the pitch. The US was able to play the ball out of the back in tight quarters, making the right passes at the right moments to players who positioned themselves very well.

Not only did the US score two great goals, they did it with a young team. I don’t think any of the players were over 30. Some were 18 years old. In comparison, the Mexican team was much older, but those years of experience did not translate to a higher level of play. The American players were faster to react, pressed the Mexican team high up the field, and were just overall faster. It was a fantastic experience as a fan, easily the best match the US has played in the World Cup qualifying campaign so far.