By IVES GALARCEP
COLUMBUS, Ohio– The game of the year for American soccer fans is upon us, and it will carry with it even more importance than usual.
The U.S. Men’s National Team takes on Mexico in World Cup Qualifying at Crew Stadium (8pm, ESPN) and the match is a vital one for both rivals. Mexico is in desperation mode after last week’s surprising 2-1 loss to Honduras, while the U.S. enter needing a win to clinch a place in the 2014 World Cup.
The U.S. will be without several starters who are either suspended or injured. Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron are all missing the match, which will put pressure on some new faces to step up.
Mexico enters having just fired head coach Manuel “Chepo” De La Torre, and new boss Luis Fernando Tena will try to revive the spirits of a Mexican side that simply hasn’t produced in the Hexagonal Round of qualifying.
SBI will be providing live commentary on tonight’s match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Tonight’s commentary is after the jump):
I will eat crow. Eddie Johnson was excellent and Jermaine Jones was man of the match. This team can do quite well, thank you, even without Michael Bradley and three other starters. And Mix Diskerud has just booked his ticket to Brazil and, yeah, and no more PKs for Clint.
Please, no more penalty taking by demps.
he clearly shanked on purpose, c’mon
If that wasn’t on purpose, it may have been the widest PK miss I’ve seen.
this. if a goal was needed this could have cost us. utter garbage captain let alone idk y he is starting xi
Way to take a glorious victory as a chance to spew hateful garbage.
I have been saying this. it wasn’t a single game he been su€king.
I have bad news for you….it was evident in the WC clinching celebration that the boys love Demps as captain.
I don’t always score goals, but when I do, I prefer Dos A Cero
+1
Jajaja.
The Force is strong in this one.
That would’ve been the humiliating touch against Mexico
Sooo…when does Donovan start taking the PKs again?
It should be immediately.
LD has missed his share of those lately too. I think Jozy with his power and accuracy might be our best bet.
Uh, no. LD all day, everyday.
Again. All of you EJ haters can piss up a rope!!
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i wouldnt say hate i like him but i think at least 3 strikers are better right now and they are younger
Dos a cero and you will like it Mexico.
How ironic, Dempsey falls to the grass for the last time on the night and get a penalty awarded — He deserve to miss it.
Dempsey wasn’t very good tonight
went to the ground waay too easily
must not be 100%
Let’s hope that miss was on purpose, sadly I think it was not
Never again let that douchbag take a pk in us history
lol, wow
Jesus Christ, why is dempsey taking pk’s
Damn, no more Pks for Dempsey
gd Dempsey
Did Dempsey miss that on purpose?
Oh, sure!
It was that bad.
Woooooow
Penalty! Tres a Cero?
of course not! Dos a Cero!! had to be — LOL
A little too early there as Deuce flubbed it.
If I’m Dempsey, I insist I missed the penalty for the sake of the scoreline.
haha Costa Rica tied
I do not want them at the top
Now that we have qualified probably, we can play some bacon time and other Newbies
WE ARE GOING TO BRAZIIILLL!! WE ARE GOING TO BRAZILLL. WE ARE GOING, WE ARE GOING, WE ARE GOING TO BRAZIIILLL!!!
THEY ARE GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!! THEY ARE GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!! THEY ARE GOING, THEY ARE GOING, THEY ARE GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!!
maybe they miss the plane foo
sure would be nice if someone would tell us how much 2nd half stoppage time….
never mind. i see the +4 on the screen now
Again. All of you EJ haters can piss up a rope!!
Agreed. They’re still living 5 years ago. EJ shows every game how good he is and no one seems to notice. Great hold up player, good skill, almost always beats people one on one and gets a good cross off, and definitely the best player we have in the air.
Ha! I’m happy to eat some crow on this one. I still don’t think he makes great decisions with the ball at his feet, but man is he sublime in the air!
Amazing, EJ is one of just three players who’s appeared in every Hex game.
Turn out the lights, the party’s just begun. If Panama lose the US are in…….
I want panama to win or draw so they can help eliminate mexico also I want NZ to have a easier match so they can qualify for the WC
this but idc if New Zealand qualifies
Reason they caught my eye in the 09 confed cup and their undefeated run in south africa.
Graham Zusi you ruined my night
MIXXXXXX
Sick touch from Mixx!!
some fast typing mfs here
DOS A CERO!!!
diskerud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dos a cero!!!
beautiful goal. Mixx made that. Dos a Cero!!!
I take my comment back mix! Still Iceman for a tres a cero!
Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaandon DOS A CERO! 2-0!
Mix? We want iceman!
You were saying?
You still want iceman?
I apologized yeah I do really wanted to see him against mx instead we see zusi…
Am I wrong here or has Goodson been rock solid?
I wanna see a brooks / goodson tandem! Create a back up tandem
Not wrong. He was our best defender in the Gold Cup too. He’s alsoa surprisingly good distributor back there.
No, he’s been great
Landon is our new lm/lb
Beckerman: “I’d rather be playing in Jamaica”
Who is keeping track of the times Dempsey has beenon the grass? I am willing to bet it outnumbers the positive touches he had all night.
New drinking game?
he is utter garbage
Because i got high because I got high…. beckermans thoughts at the moment
EJ’s hurt – Bacon time!?!? Beggin beggin beggin bacon BACON!!!!
As long as he’s willing to come back and defend, absolutely!!
Iceman!!!! Now!
I agree, get Dempsey out.
Agree, but wait til he runs out of gas, which is soon….
Sorry, he is spend 60 minutes too many on the field.
this
All of you EJ haters can pee up a rope!!!
EJ has become the second incarnation of Brian McBride in the air.
You gotta imagine Corona will be dropped after such a horrific decision. Nowhere near that corner…thanks for that!
EJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Eddie Johnson is a Grown A$$ Man!
Goodness gracious great balls of fire is that parkhurst?
How much longer do we have to watch Dempsey fall down…get AJ in there! Not good that MP just coming for FJ.
My sentiments exactly. He has been woeful.
+1
dammit!
sub MIX in for beckerman!!!
Not to be jingoisitic, but: Are there really no American announcers available? No doubt it is because I’m on edge watching this game, but I really don’t need Ian Darke’s condescension and Jorge Ramos’s disdain for the USMNT to accompany the play. Seriously, these guys are killing me.
Try Unimas. The announcers are much better even if you don’t speak Spanish.
The only meaningful possession we have is when dempsey drops into the midfield. We need someone in the midfield to impose themselves on the game. Hurry back MB