While most of America has been discussing critical issues such as whether or not Lonely Boy made the right move in ending his semi-incestuous relationship with Serena van der Woodsen and hooking up with his English teacher instead, or whether Jack Bauer should continue to help a blatantly ungrateful U.S. government or hook up with his attractive FBI partner instead, the rest of us are focused on the big game as the U.S. gears up to take on Mexico (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN360).
I'll be following the match live tonight and blogging a play-by-play (theoretically it'll be live and up to the minute, but that all depends on how temperamental our blog servers are). In the meantime, let's take a look at some key themes heading into this game:
There's no doubt the U.S. is favored in this one. A look at the statistics from virtually any angle -- eight wins and two ties in its past 10 home games against Mexico, with a 17-3 advantage in goals scored -- gives Bob Bradley's men a huge edge.
When you take into account that Mexico also limped into the final round of CONCACAF qualifying on the back of some decidedly shaky results under coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, which included losses to Jamaica and Honduras, it certainly appears as though the U.S. will sail to a win. However, before the Americans get overconfident, keep in mind that under Eriksson, Mexico is unbeaten when it has a minimum of a three-goal advantage with less than five minutes left to play in regulation.
As if the U.S. even needed any further morale boost, it surely got it last weekend courtesy of Liverpool manager and famed tactician Rafa Benitez. For those of you who didn't catch the Liverpool vs. Portsmouth game Saturday, Benitez rolled out an intricate 3-6-1 lineup, which included no fewer than six defenders. It's an ode to the same innovative formation former U.S. coach Steve Sampson employed to such notable success in the 1998 World Cup.
Benitez's use of the 3-6-1 -- which had Liverpool trailing a shambolic Portsmouth team by a score of 2-1 with five minutes to play before Fernando Torres rallied the Reds to a 3-2 win -- proved that this much-maligned formation does actually work … with a minor caveat: One has to have the world's best striker available to come off the bench in the last 15 minutes of the game to save the day.
Anyway, see you all when the game kicks off. For those of you that are interested, Alexi Lalas chatted earlier today about the game with SportsNation.
LineupsThe lineups have been officially released and are as follows:
For the U.S., there are no real surprises:Frankie Hejduk, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce,
Sacha Kljestan, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley Brian Ching For El Tri: GK Oswaldo Sanchez, Carlos Salcido, Aaron Galindo, Rafa Marquez, Ricardo Osorio, Pavel Pardo, Leandro Augusto, Gio Dos Santos, Nery Castillo, Alberto Medina, Carlos Ochoa Play-by-play We are all set for kickoff with a sellout crowd at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus braving the elements to cheer on the U.S. Apparently match officials did contemplate calling off the game, but decided against it. Just as well since the rain seems to have subsided, at least for now. 1 min: We're off. It's a scrappy and disjointed start so far, both teams look a little nervous. 2 mins: Dempsey makes the first break down the right, but his cross is cut out and cleared by Rafa Marquez. Mexico breaks and sends a ball into the U.S. box. A lax clearance by Bocanegra allows Nery Castillo to dribble around in the U.S. penalty area. Castillo is dispossessed by Pearce and the ball breaks to Gio Dos Santos with a golden opportunity. However Dos Santos, showing perhaps the effects of a lack of playing time for his club team, hits a tame shot straight at Howard from 7 yards out. What a missed opportunity for Mexico there. 4 mins: Mexico has a free kick in a dangerous spot on the right side of the U.S. but Pavel Pardo hoofs it over the U.S. goal. 5 mins: The U.S. sends a long ball looking for Landon Donovan who breaks but the ball is gathered by Mexican goalie Oswaldo Sanchez before Donovan can reach it. It's the first touch for Sanchez tonight. It's interesting that Eriksson has opted for Sanchez in goal over the more talented youngster Guillermo Ochoa. Presumably his rationale is that he values the leadership skills and experience of the veteran Sanchez, who is in no way the kind of volatile madman who would lose his head and try to maim an opposing American striker after the U.S. scores a goal. 8 mins: Nothing much of note happening right now. 9 mins: Dos Santos with a mazy dribble at the top of the U.S. box but Michael Bradley stops him in his tracks with a nice sliding tackle. 11 mins: Dempsey again with the ball on the right wing, chips a nice cross into the box looking for Beasley but too high. Mexico clears its lines. 12 mins: Nice buildup by the U.S. The cross from the left by Pearce is headed out but the ensuing deflections go out for a U.S. corner. Beasley sends in a strange-looking cross that is waist-high and is adversely affected by the wind and again Mexico clears. 13 mins: The camera cuts to Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who actually looks like he's paying attention to the game, as opposed to daydreaming about taking the vacant Portsmouth job. 15 mins: Dempsey and Beasley have switched sides and it seems to have an immediate impact as Beasley breaks at the top of the Mexican box before whiffing on his shot. He won't be adding to his career tally against Mexico anytime soon with attempts like that. 18 mins: Kljestan tries to send Beasley clear with a ball in behind Mexico's defense. Decent attempt but it's cut out. 19 mins: Mexico tries to get something going again but every time the ball ends up at the feet of Ochoa he either loses control or misplaces his place. The U.S. hoofs another long ball up and this time it's aimed at Brian Ching who is felled by a completely needless shove in the back by Galindo and the U.S. has a free kick in a very dangerous spot just outside the Mexico box. That was an incredibly dumb foul by Galindo. Donovan strikes it but it swerves wide of Sanchez's right post. 23 mins: Both teams are still struggling to establish any kind of rhythm. And Ochoa is still looking totally ineffective. 26 mins: The U.S. has a free kick out on the left, but Beasley flatlines another poor effort straight into a line of Mexico defenders. Donovan lofts the clearance back into the penalty area and it's cleared but the ball goes straight to Beasley who volleys it first time and ... well I don't need to tell you what happened there. Beasley's been a bit off so far offensively, but he's been very active nonetheless. 28 mins: Mexico sends a long ball high up to Ochoa, who shields off Onyewu but once again fails to control the ball and Onyewu clears. Neither defense looks troubled at this point in time. 30 mins: Some nice work down the wing by Medina who goes past Pearce and squares it back to Pardo who sends a nice ball into Ochoa. For the first time all night, Ochoa actually controls it and turns and fires but Onyewu is there to block. Almost immediately the U.S. breaks with Beasley beating Osorio with a nice move and sending in a long deep cross to the far left post. It's headed down by Donovan to Dempsey who fires in a fierce half-volley which is parried by Sanchez. Good save by the Mexican keeper there. That's much better from Beasley. 32 mins: Bad news for Mexico. It looks like Castillo has pulled a hamstring. I doubt we'll see him back again tonight. 33 mins: Castillo is done, he's replaced by Israel Martinez. 35 mins: Kljestan is muscled off the ball by the Mexican midfield and the loose ball goes to Dos Santos who dribbles around several U.S. defenders, before casually shrugging off a sliding tackle by Beasley and sending the ball wide left, where it's redirected into the U.S. box. Medina traps it, spins and turns and fires in a weak shot that is easily gathered by Howard. 36 mins: The U.S. has the ball and Michael Bradley unleashes a well-struck shot from outside the box. Good attempt but just wide with Sanchez seemingly beaten. 39 mins: Long ball forward by Mexico and a silly foul by Bocanegra on Dos Santos gives Mexico a dangerous free kick from the left edge of the box. Pardo hovers menacingly over the ball but the substitute Martinez goes for glory and sends in a soft, weak curler which won't trouble Howard. 41 mins: Hejduk makes a run down the right and gets to the byline but Salcido blocks his attempted cross. Corner for the U.S. 42 mins: GOAL U.S. 1-0 MEXICO. What a surprise, I'd never have guessed it, but the U.S. has scored from yet another set piece. Beasley sends in a long deep cross from the corner, Donovan heads it back across the box to Onyewu who heads it goalbound and it's parried by Sanchez. However, Michael Bradley is lurking in the 6-yard box and hammers it home into the top of the net, while three Mexican defenders stand around ball-watching. That means seven out of the last nine goals that the U.S. has scored against Mexico have come from a cross. 44 mins: Mexico looks demoralized, as it usually does after conceding a set-piece goal. Beasley is slipped in clear by a great pass by Bradley but Sanchez comes out and denies Beasley before he can get a shot off. 45 mins: HALFTIME So what can I say? So far the game has been scrappy, both teams taking time to settle down. Dos Santos missed an absolute sitter early on which could have changed the complexion of this game. As for Mexico, despite all their preparation, arriving early in Columbus, it appears that once again El Tri failed (astonishingly) to prepare adequately for the U.S. set-piece threat. I can say this because on the corner kick where the U.S. scored, Oguchi Onyewu was wide open in the six-yard box. That's the same Onyewu who has his own song that fans have dedicated to him, and is also known as "Gooch," the "Tall And Strong Man," or as I like to call him, "The most obvious threat to score from set pieces even though Mexico still hasn't figured it out" guy. Other things to note from the first half. Bradley Junior is looking very composed out there and no longer looks like a sure bet to get the first U.S. yellow card, while his midfield sidekick Kljestan has unfortunately been invisible. The U.S. back line with the exception of Onyewu has looked a little shaky as well, especially Pearce who continues to look vulnerable. For Mexico, Dos Santos has been the one bright spark despite that miss, but with Castillo out, Mexico looks completely devoid of creativity up front and Ochoa has been a roadblock to his own side with his ineffectiveness. 46 mins: The second half is under way. Eriksson was interviewed at halftime and apparently said that he was "pleased" with the way his Mexican team played in the first half. He's definitely on his way to Portsmouth then. 47 mins: Mexico wastes another good free kick opportunity. This time from the right side where the kick is floated in aimlessly over the heads of every Mexican attacker and straight into the arms of Tim Howard. In other news, it's been a bad day for Batman fans. Director Christopher Nolan inked a deal with Warner Bros. to direct something called Inception, so it looks like a Dark Knight sequel is at least two years away. Which is roughly about the same amount of time before we see another Mexican goal on U.S. soil at this rate. 49 mins: Donovan, who's been mostly quiet so far, has the ball on the left wing and tries to take on Medina, but is tackled. So that's Mexico's secret weapon. "It has been said a lot about Donovan being a player who damaged Mexico a lot, but I think we have very important defenders who can stop him easily," Dos Santos reportedly said pregame. Who knew he was referring to the Mexican forwards? I expect Medina to begin man-marking Donovan at any second now. 52 mins: Dempsey with a break and all by himself, but Osorio makes a great tackle to dispossess him as he tries to enter the Mexican penalty area. The loose ball falls to Kljestan who slides it back into the box and just misses Dempsey. 54 mins: Dos Santos is isolated out wide on the left and beats Pearce easily off the dribble to the byline. Dos Santos looks up and sees that with Castillo out of the game, he has no one he can pass to who can actually score. Realizing the futility of passing it to Ochoa or Medina, he opts to punt it out of bounds crossfield instead. 55 mins: This almost turned into Groundhog Day as Donovan almost broke clean for one of his trademark breakaway goals against Mexico. Only a great tackle by Marquez kept Donovan from scooting free to make it 2-0. 57 mins: Mexican fans are chanting the name "Zinha, Zinha" and hoping for a sub -- perhaps with the realization that their team is showing about as much vision as the genius responsible for choosing Michael "Bong" Phelps and Alex "A-Roid" Rodriguez as the spokesmen for the recent "Guitar Hero" ad campaign. 58 mins: Mexico with a dangerous counterattack but the killer ball to Pardo is wasted as Pardo is offside. 59 mins: Right on cue Zinha comes on for Medina. How is Ochoa still on the field? Even Omar Bravo would be better than this. Speaking of which, Brian Ching has also been virtually invisible save for that one foul he drew way back in the first half. 61 mins: The U.S. may be leading, but the lack of fluidity in its play and lack of creativity is a little disturbing. On the other hand, compared to Mexico who has resorted to whacking long hopeful balls, the U.S. is practically Brazil-esque in contrast. 64 mins: It's all happening now. A cross from Mexico goes deep to the U.S. far post. Dos Santos beats Pearce to the ball and somehow manages to miss hitting the goal from 2 yards out. The ball slides across the area and is hammered back in by Pardo and cannons off the post. To make a bad situation worse, Marquez runs in and stamps his studs on Howard's leg as the ball is punted back into the U.S. box and is sent off for his troubles. 1-0 down, down to 10 men. This game is pretty much over for Mexico. That's the second sitter of the night Mexico has missed. 70 mins: It looks like Omar Bravo is getting ready to come on, presumably for Ochoa who has been abysmal. The U.S. is now knocking it around like it's a training session but somehow gives the ball away to Ochoa who tries an ambitious shot from near the halfway line. Needless to say, the shot doesn't trouble Howard in the slightest. 71 mins: The last roll of the dice, Omar Bravo is in for Dos Santos. Typical genius from Eriksson which will be familiar to England fans everywhere, taking off the only player likely to make something happen for Mexico and bringing on a player who has consistently shown an inability to take his chances against the U.S. 74 mins: Ching gathers the ball and rolls it wide to Beasley who clips it to Pearce. Pearce sends in something that would only be termed a "cross" in the very loosest sense of the word. 77 mins: Donovan with the ball out left, cuts inside and squares a pass to Hejduk who winds up and takes a crack from outside the area. It's a tame dribbler well wide. 78 mins: First shaky piece of defending from Onyewu all night. A long desperate ball forward almost sends Ochoa free but Onyewu just about manages to get his toe on the end of the ball and clear it for a corner. From the corner, Osorio has a free header and a great chance, but it's a feeble attempt. 80 mins: Jozy Altidore is warming up and getting ready to come in. In the meantime, the U.S. has a corner and Donovan will take it. Mexico clears it but only as far as Hejduk who chips it wide to Beasley, whose cross is cleared again. This is unimaginative stuff from the U.S. 82 mins: Altidore in for Ching. 83 mins: Mexico has a chance to break 3 on 2, but Ochoa holds the ball up, dribbles around a bit and then lays it wide left to Martinez, by which time most of the U.S. defense is back. A wasted opportunity. 84 mins: Altidore latches on to a long ball and holds it up at the edge of the Mexican box with only Galindo to beat but the Mexican defender takes it smoothly off him. 85 mins: Kljestan out, Ricardo Clark in. 87 mins: There's a strange lack of urgency on the part of Mexico here, it's almost as if El Tri has settled for a 1-0 loss, while the U.S. clearly settled for a 1-0 win about 15 minutes ago. 88 mins: Mexico has the ball in a mildly threatening position but only three Mexican attackers are in the final third before Mexico loses possession. Mexico's not exactly throwing men forward here. 90 mins: We will have three minutes of added time. 91 mins: GOAL! U.S. 2-0 Mexico. Altidore leads a break and just as he's tackled, dishes it to Donovan who tees it up for Bradley to take a shot from outside the box. It's actually a tame effort by Bradley, but Sanchez makes a complete hash of it and basically lets it right through his body/hands. Good call by Eriksson to start him instead of Guillermo Ochoa. 93 mins: FULLTIME. U.S. 2-0 Mexico. It's all over. Yet another win for the U.S. at home against Mexico. A win's a win and that's the bottom line. However, I don't think the U.S. was particularly impressive offensively tonight, but defensively did well to deny Mexico its typical favored possession game in midfield. Mexico was poor but had the two clearest chances of the night. A better team would have punished the U.S. for those lapses in concentration and it can be argued that a better team wouldn't have conceded those two goals to the U.S. either. That said, both teams will inevitably qualify easily for the World Cup, but on this evidence, both need to get a lot better in a hurry -- although in mitigation the weather conditions didn't help tonight. Rafa Marquez also needs to take a long hard look at himself for his moment of madness -- he basically cost Mexico any chance they had of salvaging anything from this game. I'll be interested to hear what ex-Mexico coach Eriksson has to say after this debacle. Remember to check out ESPN360 for additional postgame features and interviews following the game.