USA v Mexico Preview

This is the first of two game previews that are being unveiled today, the second being the UNC v Duke college basketball game.

I expect this game to be very similar to previous match ups. I expect the US to try and control possession, primarily deep in the midfield. In doing this they will also attempt to make the game slow and terrible on the eye, but they don't want Mexico to get going offensively because they have a ton of technical ability. The US will have to find someone willing to take defenders on, in past games between the two this has been difficult and as a result the US has an obvious reliance on set pieces. To be said more plainly Donovan and Dempsey have to go right at the Mexican defense.


I think the lineup will consist of this:

Howard

Hejduk Onyewu Bocanegra Pearce

Dempsey Bradley Kljestan

Donovan Beasley

Ching

I think Bradley will play it safe considering the importance of the game, but here is what I think the lineup should be.

Howard

Wynne Onyewu Califf Bocanegra

Kljestan Bradley Torres

Dempsey Donovan

Altidore

Obviously I have quite a few differences. On the back line I added Marvell Wynne over Hejduk. I know Hejduk isn't as shaky defensively as Wynne can be at times, but Wynne has amazing pace, so much so that he can recover from most mistakes. This pace also makes him more of a threat going forward. The knock on him right now is that he doesn't produce much at the end of his runs forward. I personally am ok with that, the runs alone might unsettle the defense and if he does put in a few good crosses it's an added plus.

I put Califf in the middle and Bocanegra on the left. This isn't anything against Bocanegra at centre back, as he has been in good form there for the national team. Bocanegra has played left back for his club in France and I think he would add a lot of stability over there in comparison to Pearce and Bornstein.

In the midfield I have put Beasley on the bench and added Jose Fransisco Torres, there are a few reasons for this. First, Beasley hasn't played for his club, Rangers, in forever, so he is probably not in good form. Second, Torres has been playing a lot for his club Pachuca. Torres also has Mexican heritage and he plays in Mexico, I think he would be pumped up for this game and it would add a lot of energy to the side. Finally, Torres is more versatile than Beasley, he can play wide, in the middle, he is a very good passer, and he can shoot from distance. On top of all that I think Torres is better technically.

Up front I took out Ching and threw in Altidore. The last time these two clubs played Altidore completely owned Rafa Marquez. He may not be consistent throughout the game, but Altidore adds a size, power, pace, and technical ability combination that Ching has never had. I think if Jozy plays up to his abilities he would give the defense fits.

For Mexico, I think they will lose this game simply because they will lose possession as described earlier. If they can come out early and play fast then they have a chance, if not it will be a slow defensive affair, and personally I don't the Eriksson is a very good coach, so it will be difficult for them to make the right adjustments.

Final - USA 2 - Mexico 1
Kljestan and Donovan get goals and Guillermo Franco gets a late consolation goal.