USA vs. Mexico, 2018 World Cup qualifying: Rafa Marquez fires El Tri to victory

When it comes to the first half of the 2-1 loss the United States suffered at the hands of Mexico, only one word fits the bill for the USMNT: disastrous. They looked all out of sorts in the first half, seemingly in large part to a new formation based around a three-man defense. The midfield getting overrun kept the defense under siege for much of the half. After the match, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann was quick to point out exactly who he felt was at fault.

Given that both Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones, the key pivot in the heart of that midfield no matter what the shape, both looked very poor all night long, it’s hard to argue that point too heavily. Though if you ask Bradley, the captain of the USMNT, there might have been a different cause.

World Cup qualifying is rarely easy for the United States. They’ve suffered some huge away losses and drawn teams that they should have beaten at home — often leaving their qualification until the last two games of the Hex. But through all those struggles, they’ve defended home turf well, avoiding defeat for 15 years. That streak came to an end against Mexico on Friday night, with El Tri winning 2-1 in Columbus.

The last time the Americans lost a qualifier at home was on September 1, 2001, when Honduras came to RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. Earnie Stewart got the Americans on the board in the 7th minute, but Los Catrachos scored the next three goals, with Milton Núñez scoring twice and Carlos Pavón converting from the penalty spot. Stewart added a consolation goal in the 83rd minute.

Mexico emerged victorious in a wild and chaotic World Cup qualifier in CONCACAF, coming out 2-1 winners against the United States thanks to a late headed goal from Rafa Marquez. It was the USMNT’s first home loss in the Hex in 15 years, and this is one that is going to hurt for a long, long time.

The first half was utterly disastrous for the USMNT, who got bullied by Mexico early. Their attempt at breaking in a new formation with the 3-5-2 fell to pieces very early on in the match, with the back three under near-constant siege from Mexico’s attack. Scoring chances were coming quickly for El Tri, and the warning sirens started to scream when Tecatito cracked the ball off the post after blazing through the U.S. defense with far too much ease.

Rafa Marquez, 37 years old, made his first appearance for Mexico in 1997. He’s been a constant thorn in the United States’ side throughout his 20 years with El Tri. And on Friday, he ended the USMNT’s “dos a cero” streak and scored the winning goal in Columbus.

This made it 2-1 to El Tri, and given that it happened in the 89th minute, the Americans had no time to mount a comeback. Goals don’t get much bigger, and American fans will be just as upset by the goal-scorer as they will by the loss itself.

After a very poor first half, the United States needed to start the second quickly against Mexico. They did just that, with Bobby Wood finding the back of the net to level the score up at 1-1.

This is exactly what you want from a striker partnership. Jozy Altidore comes to get the ball, holds it up, waits for Wood to make a run and plays a perfect pass. Wood surges forward, picks his spot and hits a composed finish. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the USMNT.

A bad start for the United States men’s national team against Mexico quickly got worse at the end of the first half. While taking a goal kick, Tim Howard pulled up lame and went down with an injury. He attempted to continue after receiving treatment, but after his first save following the injury, realized that he couldn’t continue. Brad Guzan came on in his place in the 40th minute.

Howard gave up his status as the No. 1 goalkeeper by taking a sabbatical from the USMNT following the 2014 World Cup. He was welcomed back to the team, but sat behind Guzan at first. However, Howard has played well since joining the Colorado Rapids, while Guzan struggled last year at Aston Villa and has not played regularly for Middlesbrough since joining them, allowing Howard to regain the starting spot. Guzan is currently Boro’s No. 2 goalkeeper behind Victor Valdes.

So much for dos a cero. Mexico won’t go down by the traditional score line this time around thanks to Miguel Layun’s strike to put El Tri up 1-0 on the Americans.

That’s bad luck for Tim Howard, who probably would have made the save if not for the massive deflection. For the first time in over a decade, the USMNT is now put in the position of having to come from behind at home against Mexico in World Cup qualifying.

Lineups are out for the United States men’s national team’s big World Cup qualifying showdown with Mexico, and neither team is sitting back to defend.

Jurgen Klinsmann appears to be playing a 4-4-2, though a back three is possible too. Regardless of the formation, Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore will partner up top. If they’re playing a back four, Fabian Johnson will be pushed up into midfield, with Matt Besler getting the start at left back. If not, Besler will play as part of a back three, with Johnson and Timmy Chandler as wingbacks. Christian Pulisic gets the start, but it’s not obvious if he’ll be out wide in a 4-4-2 or in the hole behind the strikers in a 3-4-1-2.

United States vs. Mexico is perhaps the world’s greatest rivalry that is never defined by superstar players. The likes of Clint Dempsey and “Chicharito” Javier Hernandez have entered the match in hot form with pressure on their shoulders, but never before has the spotlight been so focused on one player. like it is on Christian Pulisic in this edition of the match.

If you want to learn more about his rapid two-year rise from Under-17 starlet to key figure for club and country, check out Grant Wahl’s profile focusing on his personal development at SI, and Noah Davis’ piece at The Ringer on what Pulisic represents as a part of the U.S. Soccer development system.

The “Hex” round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF is upon us, the final set of matches between the last six teams left standing after four rounds of qualifying. Over the next year each team will play each other twice, and the three top teams will head to Russia in 2018 for the World Cup, with the fourth-placed side set for a playoff match against a similarly placed team in another confederation. With all that on the line, there’s a lot at stake as the United States get set to host Mexico in Columbus, Ohio.

The site of many huge U.S. wins, the USMNT will be hoping that the magic of Columbus will be working in their favor, and that it might have another “Dos a Cero” match in store for them. It’s going to be an exciting atmosphere and a hard-fought match, one that any fan of either team, or anyone even thinking about becoming a fan, should absolutely watch. This is an incredibly important game for both teams, and not just for the hotly charged rivalry involved.