US vs. Mexico Recap

It's taken me a few days to get this up, mainly because it's taken me a few days to actually watch the game. Too many other things going on this week in Phoenix (seee: Shaq to the Suns). The US came away with a 2-2 draw against Mexico, in what some Mexican players are referring to as a 'moral victory'. I guess if Mexico sees a tie against the US as a moral victory, it points to the dominance the Americans have displayed in the rivalry as of late.

The game itself was a pretty typical US-Mexico clash, heavy on intensity and chock full of hard fouls, with a total of 6 yellow cards handed out, including one to Michael "It's becoming my American duty to get a yellow card everytime i pull on the US jersey" Bradley. Or maybe we should call him Michael "Yellow card" Bradley. Or Michael "Hard Foul" Bradley. One of those...

The American's didn't look all that good to me, especially the outside on both sides in back and midfield. While i'm still not completely sold on Gooch in the back, he and Bocanegra make a fairly decent pairing with Bocanegra able to clean up most mistakes. The outside back positions are one of great concern to me however. Corrales did basically zero that i remember him for, which isn't exactly what i'm looking for.

On the other side, right back Drew Moor had several memorable moments, unfortunately most of them were negative. He showed a complete lack of an ability to mark his man on set pieces, which is how Mexico scored both of their goals. And while he did have the assist on Jozy's goal, his play otherwise vacilated between less than stellar and horrible. He had two marking mistakes that led to Mexico's set piece scoring chances, then failed to properly mark his man on both of those set pieces. Not good. The defense in general was unorganized, and gave up way too many shots, especially in the second half.

In the middle, Bradley was his typical tireless self, moving all over the field and constantly working. Unfortunately that didn't translate to a lot of possession and holding, as the Americans in general did a poor job of controlling the ball. Rico Clark, like Corrales, was virtually unnoticeable to me. I would have liked to see Feilhaber and Bradley together, instead of Feilhaber subbing for Bradley. Bobby Convey on the left played ok, though not spectacularly. He again had trouble putting in good crosses, and realistically is not the answer on the outside. And then we have LanDo...

I said in my preview that i would like to see LanDo in midfield, but i want no part of him on the wing in midfield. LanDo needs the ball to be effective, and is best when he is getting the ball and making thigns happen. He's not a traditional striker, though he can score goals in bunches. I still believe his absolute best position is as an attacking center midfielder, though apparently no one on the US coaching staff agrees with me...

Up top i thought Dempsey and Altidore played pretty well. Altidore obviously had the great goal, but played fairly well the rest of the match. He came out a bit timid and unsure of himself the first 15-20 minutes, but settled down and had some nice touches. Dempsey is still the most creative and entertaining US player, and showed off his skills a few times, including his great goal that was ultimately ruled offsides. I think Dempsey and Jozy up top could be a formidable line once they figure out how to work with each other and what their tendencies are.

I mentioned him earlier, but i thought Feilhaber did a good job once he came in. Not sure if it was because of him, or the US settled down, or what, but the Americans seemed to do a better job possessing the ball in the middle third once he came on. He also was very active, getting making many tackles and stealing the ball. As for the other subs, i didn't see a whole lot from Maurice Edu or Eddie Lewis. Just not enough playing time and/or not enough touches for either of them to really show anything. Freddy Adu also didn't get a ton of touches, but looked pretty good the times he did get the ball.

Tim Howard in the back was awesome once again, despite giving up two goals. Neither of them were his fault, and he made some very good saves throughout the match that could have given El Tri the win. He will be the American keeper for the foreseeable future, no question.

Some final thoughts on the game:

Mexico is getting good. They put a ton of pressure on the Americans, and are very quick, something the US struggled to handle. The battles between these two countries should only get better and more heated in the coming years.

American coach Bob Bradley still refuses to put what i think would be the best and most dangerous lineup on the field at the same time, which is both frustrating and encouraging. It is good to mix thigns around, change things, and try different combinations, but i would like to see a somewhat steady lineup. My ideal lineup would be: Howard as keeper, Bocanegra and Gooch in the back in the middle, and i have no clue who to put on the outside in the back....

In midfield, i'd like to see Beasley on the left when he returns, Bradley and Feilhaber in the middle, and probablt Dempsey on the right. Put LanDo and Jozy up top, and let LanDo roam and come back to the middle as necessary. Of course, they doesn't leave a spot for Adu, who i think needs to be in there. We apparently have too many midfielders and forwards and not enough defenders...

All in all not a bad result, and a pretty entertaining game. It's a good way to jumpstart what ultimately will be a very important year for the American side, with World Cup 2010 Qualifying starting this summer.