United States 0 5 Mexico: Mexicans pummel US

July 27, 10:45 AMSoccer ExaminerNicholas Richards

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Soccer Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Torrado kisses the giant Gold Cup trophy (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Two finals appearances for the United States in 2009, two second-places finishes.

Mexico ended a decade of frustration on US soil, battering their bitter rivals, 5-0, in Giants Stadium. All five goals came after halftime as the Mexicans waltzed to their fifth Gold Cup title in front of a partisan crowd in New Jersey. The scoreline is the worst for a US team on home soil since a 5-0 beating at the hands of England in 1985.

The US controlled long sections of the first half and the early minutes of the second. Robbie Rogers had the best chance for the US, missing with his left foot over the crossbar inside the penalty area early in the second half. Minutes later, Giovani Dos Santos earned a 54th minutes penalty - albeit a dubious one - which captain-for-the-day Gerardo Torrado blasted home. With his back to the goal, Dos Santos tangled with Jay Heaps in the box. Dos Santos looked to extend his arm into Heaps' face, but went down with the American defender to earn the penalty.

From that point forward, it was all Mexico. Goals from Dos Santos, Carlos Vela - his introduction at halftime was the key - Jose Castro, and Guillermo Franco dusted the Americans and gave El Tri a rare win in the United States.

The gulf between the two teams was glaring in the second half. Dos Santos was a thorn in the side of the American defense all day, hitting the flanks with pace and flair. The introduction of Vela at halftime was the difference-maker. The Arsenal man shredded the US throughout the second half. With his introduction, the two best players on the field were both Mexican.

This presents an opportunity for the Anti-Bob Bradley faction to rise up again in their disapproval of the American manager. This tournament was used as an audition for next summer, and nearly everyone failed. He waited too long to make any substitutions, making no changes until after the US trailed 2-0, whereas his Mexican counterpart, Javier Aguirre, brought on Vela at halftime with the game scoreless. The offside trap was consistently beaten after the penalty, and the US never adjusted with their fullbacks flying forward in support looking for an equalizer. The Mexicans had acres of space to operate in, and with players the caliber of Dos Santos and Vela attacking those areas, the US was always going to be in for a long second half. If it weren't for Troy Perkins in goal, the score could've hit 7 or 8-0. This certainly was not Bradley's finest hour. 

And yet, this is not a game to worry about. Embarrassing? Yes. End of the world? No. It stinks to lose from a US perspective, but at the same time, this was the D-squad for the US in a tournament that largely - this year, anyway - doesn't matter. The two sides meet again in Mexico City on August 12 in a World Cup qualifier with what will be two completely different sides, so the outcome could be different.

Maybe most ominous for the US is the fact that this is a shot in the arm for Mexico, if only to boost morale. It's a jump start they badly needed. With their World Cup qualifying campaign shaky at best right now, a win was a must for Mexico. They needed a win over the United States, and they got it in convincing fashion, D-squad or not.