Mexico and the United States battled to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night in each team's third match of the 2014 hexagonal stage of the World Cup qualifiers.
The first half was a sloppy affair with neither side able to mount sustained pressure. The Americans carried the play earlier on and had a prime chance off a corner kick, but the Mexicans eventually took over the play in the half. Giovanni Dos Santos created a great deal of difficulty for the Americans down the right wing but was unable to create any major opportunities. The Mexicans thought they had a penalty shot when Javier Hernandez was pushed from behind by Michael Bradley but the referee let the play continue. The Americans eventually countered on a nice passing play, but Bradley was stopped by oncoming defender Jorge Torres Nilo.
The second half saw the Mexicans play a more aggressive style while the Americans seemed to play for the draw. Off a corner kick, chaos ensued and Jesús Zavala eventually got a shot off. However, the opportunity hit an American defender and deflected out of play. Minutes later, Dos Santos broke into the penalty area, but his cross was met by an American defender. The game got feisty after a foul in the penalty area on Javier Aquino. The Mexicans attempted to argue for a penalty, but the referee did not make the call. For the remainder of the match, El Tri took shot after shot in a desperate attempt to score a goal, but it never came.
The draw gives Mexico only three out of nine points in its first three games. With seven games remaining, there is still a lot of time for El Tri to make up ground. However, they need to win at least four of their final seven and potentially draw once or twice to make the next round (teams have needed at least 16 points during the last three qualifiers to make the World Cup). More importantly, the team only plays three of its final seven at home and the team has yet to score at the Azteca in this round.
Meanwhile the Americans get a much needed point and jump into a three-way tie with Costa Rica and Honduras for second place in the group. The team has now played two away games and will host four of its final seven World Cup qualifiers.
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