We've had less than five minutes of play and there's already been a bit of a penalty shout. Following a free kick for the United States, Kyle Beckerman sent a ball into the box towards Herculez Gomez, who missed his shot attempt as he was pushed over. On first glance, it looked like a legal shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, but it was a bit hard and Gomez certainly wasn't pleased. He asked for a penalty, but didn't get it.
Mexico Vs. USA 2012: Herculez Gomez Asks For Penalty, Doesn’t Get It
On the topic of the United States' formation, it looks like they're packing the midfield and playing Landon Donovan as a striker in a 4-3-1-2 formation. This is only a subtle change from the expected 4-3-3 lineup, which would have featured Danny Williams doing some defending, Landon Donovan cutting in and Jose Torres pushing up from midfield. This is going to put a lot of pressure on Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo, the fullbacks, to cover a ton of ground.
Oh, and speaking of Donovan, here’s some epic struggle face.
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