Gregg Berhalter deserves his credit, despite at times his team playing very disorganized and inconsistent, he absolutely owns Tata Martino and Mexico. Few, if any, coaches have produced the kind of results Berhalter has over Mexico, defeating them in two continental finals and getting four points from El Tri in World Cup qualifying. All in a span of two years, for the USMNT the sour taste of missing out of the 2018 World Cup is 90 minutes and a victory against Panama away from being erased.
In the USMNT’s 0-0 draw against Mexico it was the same story, Mexico had the ball but their “chicken without a head” attack is old school stuff, a sound USMNT defense held firm at the back and counter very well, all that was missing was the final touch.
While USMNT pundits and fans are “unhappy” the team could not get a historic three points, this is one of those lose-able games that the USMNT overcame. Maturity, calmness, and some brilliant saves from Guillermo Ochoa kept the USMNT from a historic night, but besides a golden point Gregg Berhalter must be satisfied with his team’s performance in containing and destroying Mexico’s attack. Here are 3 key highlights from the USMNT’s draw with Mexico.
Defense was key
Walker Zimmerman (Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The backline for the USMNT held firm, especially with the explosiveness of Hirving Lozano, who was Mexico’s best player, and Walker Zimmerman gave a career performance in holding off Raúl Jiménez. At times it seems the full backs had difficulty tracking back but the team always maintained a strong defensive posture, for a few outside shots, Mexico could only account for 2 shots on goal to the USMNT’s 4 at Azteca.
Mama said there would be nights like this
Christian Pulisic (Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
When looking ahead to the World Cup, games like the Azteca will be the norm for such a young group of players. The USMNT had only 39% of possession but led on shots on goal and corner kicks. Against teams like Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, and Germany on the biggest stage the USMNT will have to make the most of their chances, an encouraging sign is that despite the lack of possession the team still managed to be more dangerous than their opponent, something Berhalter can truly build on looking ahead to Qatar.
The magic of Giovanni Reyna
You would never have thought Giovanni Reyna has missed most of his season with his performance at Azteca. Reyna showed in only 30 minutes what he can bring to the table for the USMNT, while his Azteca play drew comparisons to Diego Maradona, Reyna looks more like a Juan Román Riquelme out there. An excellent “thinking” compliment to Christian Pulisic’s explosiveness.
Bonus track: The Ugly
Jordan Pefok (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Striker continues to be an issue for the USMNT, with little service Ricardo Pepi looked lost out there and Jordan Pefok missed a golden chance to put the USMNT ahead. Nonetheless fans should not write off Pefok after a game in which the USMNT needed a point and not three. With better service Pefok could still provide a lot to the USMNT, Pepi on the other hand looks like a player who plays on one of the worst sides of the Bundesliga.
