USMNT Defeat Mexico ‘Dos A Cero’
By Phil Naegely
The USMNT defeated ‘El Tri’ 2-0 in a game where the talk was centered mostly on the poor pitch conditions
USMNT’s latest matchup against Mexico was filled with many storylines from no Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, playing the friendly on a non-FIFA date, and most controversial the poor state of the Alamodome grass. In the end, those concerns were put to the side for the most part as the USMNT defeated Mexico by a score of Dos A Cero (2-0 for those who don’t know a lick of Spanish.)
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In the first half, both teams struggled to find much offense. This was due to a very bumpy Alamodome pitch that looked worse than most high school soccer fields. The poor condition was due to US Soccer Federation have the Alamodome turf pulled up and have grass put down days before. Well, the grass was put on top of cement and well didn’t have proper time to grow. Nonetheless, the grass looked crappy and many wondered if it would have been better for them to just play on the actual Alamodome turf.
Either way both teams had to battled it and at the mid-game break went into the locker room tied 0-0. The USMNT came out firing and found a way to score less than 10 minutes into the second half. Stanford standout and 20-year-old USMNT forward added his name to the list of players to score on the international scene; it only took three games for Morris to score his first USMNT goal. His 49′ goal gave the hosts the early second half lead and the momentum heading into the rest of the match.
The goalscorer was subbed off in the 64′ to allow a USMNT veteran sometime. Juan Agudelo, who was looking to find his way back to the USMNT roster, entered and made an immediate impact. After bringing a spark to the USMNT offense and allowing the quality of play to stay at a high level, he found his first goal in four years. The goal brought the scoreline to a “Dos A Cero” lead for USMNT fans and the defensive backline held on to preserve the shutout.
After blowing leads for most of their post-World Cup games, the USMNT have found a way to keep the lead. Klinsmann’s choice to a deploy a diamond found success early and often. Captain Michael Bradley played out of his mind and was able to probably run the offense without Clint Dempsey dropping back into the midfield. It appears that this USMNT squad understood their roles; this is something Klinsmann needs to make sure he is telling his players moving forward and they need to follow suit.
For the most part, the USMNT’s defense was solid and the goalkeeping showed up when needed and cut off any favorable angle. This win will give the USMNT momentum as they return to their respective club teams and regroup as they continue to prepare for the 2015 Gold Cup where they are destined to see Mexico yet again.
Next: Jordan Morris Scores First USMNT Goal