In 2010, the United States women entered the semifinals of the World Cup qualifying tournament as heavy favorites to beat the hosts, Mexico. To the shock of the women's soccer world, the USWNT fell 2-1, and needed to win both a third-place game and an intercontinental playoff to qualify for the World Cup.
USA vs. Mexico: 3 things to watch for in the USWNT’s World Cup qualifier
Patrick McDermott
Fast forward four years and they’re facing the exact same scenario. With an automatic World Cup berth on the line, the United States takes on Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).
Mexico were expected to win their group coming into this tournament, but ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Costa Rica, who are much improved from their last qualifying campaign. The Ticas won 1-0 in group play, but were much better than the Mexicans and should have won by two or three more goals.
Between that poor performance from El Tri and the absence of now-35-year-old Maribel Dominguez, one of Mexico's best ever players and one of the scorers in Cancun back in 2010, American fans aren't that concerned. But this is still the best team the USWNT has faced so far, and they only managed a 1-0 win over an average Trinidad and Tobago side.
1. Does Mexico have the quality to exploit the Americans’ obvious weakness?
Neither Carli Lloyd, nor Lauren Holiday is a defensive midfielder. The lack of a true DM since Shannon Boxx started getting left off of USWNT squads has been a serious concern for fans, but it’s yet to matter at this level. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. women’s group stage opponents have been unable to take advantage of the lack of a ball-winner in midfield, but Mexico are a bit better than all of those teams.
While Teresa Noyola and Monica Ocampo might not be quite world class, they have better professional pedigrees than anyone the U.S. has faced in this tournament. Both have put in excellent performances in NWSL, against USWNT players. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Mexico steal a goal on the break, and the Americans could be in trouble if it happens early.
2. Who starts up top for the USWNT?
Abby Wambach doesn’t exactly fit the rest of the USWNT. She’s at her best with a strike partner, in a direct and physical kind of team, but Jill Ellis and previous manager pretty clearly want this team to play with the ball on the ground, and they have the players to do it. But against Haiti, the Americans looked pretty good with Wambach up top in a team playing a possession game, even if she’s not the perfect fit.
Wambach is considerably bigger and stronger than Mexico’s defenders, and she’ll be very hard for them to deal with. But until the Haiti game, Ellis appeared to prefer a very different kind of forward up top. Will she pick a player who fits the system, or put her best goal-scorer up top and hope talent wins out?
3. How defensive are Mexico?
The U.S. are going to have a lot more of the ball and are going to spend quite a bit of time in the attacking half, but Mexico aren’t exactly a team suited to packing 10 behind the ball and playing exclusively on the counter. It might be the best way to beat the United States, but it’s unlikely they’ll be as well-versed in that style as, say, Trinidad and Tobago. It should be clear from the outset if Mexico are playing a pure defensive game, if they’re trying to play with the U.S., or trying something in between.
While this game was originally scheduled as the early game, CONCACAF came to their senses and did a little re-arranging. The United States and Mexico kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET from PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. You can catch the game on FOX Sports 1, or streaming on either FOX Sports Go or FOX Soccer 2 Go.
