The United States earned a tremendous draw from the Mexicans on Tuesday, but the match exposed a great deal about the Stars and Stripes.
No Clear Offensive Strategy
The Americans were highly resilient during the early stages of the match and almost capitalized off a corner kick. After that, the game was completely dominated by the Mexicans who created a plethora of chances to take over the game, but could never capitalize. However, the United States failed to generate much offense and often looked lost with the ball. It was clear during the second half that the team was intent on leaving the Azteca with a point and barely established any attacking presence. However during the first, when the team was still trying to play for the win, it looked awful at executing any sort of momentum.
Michael Bradley was relied on heavily to create chances for his team, but the pace of his teammates was languid at best. Every time Bradley had the ball, the majority of the other players stood still; there was barely a movement from anyone. During one sequence, he did manage to create a slick passing play that had him break into the box alone. Outside of that play, his teammates gave him few options with the ball. More importantly, whenever any American had control of the ball, the player tended to hold on to it for too long even if there were other options on hand. That allowed the Mexican defenders to close gaps quickly and take away passing lanes. Clint Dempsey had a quiet match and it was clear that Jurgen Klinsmann had no read tactic on how to deploy him or more importantly: how to get him the ball. When Dempsey did have the ball he was able to apply some pressure; unfortunately, his touches were limited at best.
Another sore point was the American reliance on the long ball, especially when it was clear that none of the wingers (particularly on the right flank) were ready to take advantage of these chances. None of those long balls actually produced chances for the Americans throughout the game.
Defense Is Coming Into Its Own
There were a number of breakdowns, but there were also a number of game savers, particularly in the waning moments. DeMarcus Beasely is not the long term answer, but he had a decent game. Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler played very well and looked poised to be long-term answers for team USA. More importantly, the defense managed to stay calm and weather the Mexican onslaught at the end of the match. Two straight clean sheets is a testament to the defense finally maturing.
In net, Brad Guzan had another solid game and made strong saves when called upon.
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