Mexico has had all of the ball, but the scoreboard doesn't measure possession. Soccer is about scoring goals and after 45 minutes, the Mexicans haven't been able to crack the United States defense. While friendlies are not about results, results don't hurt and at halftime the U.S. has a good 0-0 scoreline going for them.
Mexico Vs. USA 2012: Halftime Score, USMNT Holding On To Scoreless Draw
El Tri came right at the U.S. from the very start and within a few minutes had a dangerous free kick. They added a couple corner kicks, a penalty shout and the entire match was seemingly in the Americans’ third, but it didn’t result in a goal. The U.S. stayed compact and defended at all costs to ensure that Mexico couldn’t break through. So far it has worked.
But even though it worked, the U.S. can't be too happy about their play. They have one chance of note, when Herculez Gomez almost hopped on a Mexico mistake and was tugged at, but the referee did not award the penalty. Besides that, they have been dreadful on the ball, giving it away left and right.
Worst might be Jose Francisco Torres, who has absolutely zero defensive responsibilities, but still won't drop to find the ball and is completely uninvolved in the match. On the flip side is Geoff Cameron, who has been nothing short of sensational in the opening half.
Meanwhile, Mexico has to feel pretty good about the way things are going. Their central midfield pairing of Jesus Zavala and Manuel Viniegra has been good and they have been deadly on the wings. Their only problem is that Angel Reyna is playing underneath Javier Hernandez and while a nice player, he is a winger. If Giovani dos Santos were out there then this would be a very different match. Plus, with the possession Mexico has had, they have to think a goal is coming.
We’ll have live coverage in our Mexico vs. USA, 2012 Friendly StoryStream.
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