10 Reasons to Watch Mexico vs USA Today

August 12th, 2009 | by: Daryl |

There are eight World Cup qualifiers scheduled for today, but – with all due respect to Azerbaijan vs Germany – the pick of the bunch is easily Mexico vs USA at Estadio Azteca.

Brooks and Marlon have a LiveBlog on USA WCB.

Kick off is 3pm Mexico City time, 4pm US Eastern, 1pm US Pacific.

Here are 10 reasons you need to watch this game…

1. This is the big game in CONCACAF. The Argentina vs Brazil of CONCACAF if you will. The two best teams battling to see who’s boss. So even if you’re not a Mexico or US fan, this game deserves your attention.

2. This isn’t one of those mutual respect rivalries. Or even one of those let’s be friends afterwards rivalries. This is one of those “I’m going to hurt you” rivalries.

3. World Cup places are at stake. Though Mexico and the US are the CONCACAF top dogs, neither tops the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group right now (that honour currently belongs to Costa Rica). USA are in second, Mexico in fourth.

CONCACAF only gets 3.5 World Cup places (top three qualify, fourth plays off vs fifth place CONMEBOL team) so a defeat would be bad news for either team, a draw leaves Mexico still sweating.

4. USA has never – repeat: Never – beaten Mexico at the Azteca. Or anywhere else in Mexico for that matter. Whether it’s the altitude, the hostile reception, or just the pressure, USA’s 23 games south of the border have yielded only 22 defeats and a draw. Or, as Al at Mexico WCB puts it: “Undefeated to the USA at home since the creation of the sport.”

5. Mexico just got a big win in the US. Mexico had a similar problem, having not beat their northern rivals on American soil for over a decade. But that all changed last month with a 5-0 Gold Cup Final win in New Jersey. It may not have been two first XIs, but it was still big psychologically and statistically. And puts even more pressure on the US to get an away win.

6. USA are high on confidence. Ignoring the Gold Cup, the full strength US team just had huge unexpected success at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, beating Spain in the semi-final and coming thisclose to beating Brazil in the final. Bob Bradley has picked more or less the same squad for this game.

7. Sven Goran Eriksson is no longer in charge of Mexico. Which is good news for anyone looking to enjoy a football match. At any level.

8. ESPN are doing a pre-game show… even though they don’t have the US broadcast rights for the actual game. Which is insane when you think about it. For those in America who actually want to watch the game, it will be on Telemundo in Spanish, and on the little known Mun2 in English. Mun2 will be available free of charge in most media markets, apparently.

9. The Estadio Azteca. USA may not enjoy visiting, but the atmosphere should be incredible. Estadio Azteca holds 105,000 and will be full for this game. Which should look a little something like this:

10. Our coverage here on World Cup Blog. El Tri fans can read Al’s preview on Mexico WCB. USA fans can follow Brooks and Marlon’s LiveBlog on USA WCB.

To repeat, Mexico vs USA kick off is 3pm local, 4pm US Eastern, 1pm US Pacific

If you have trouble finding the game on TV, then looks like it will be available online (free and legally) here, via Terra TV.

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Mat

I was pretty pissed this morning to see that the game will not be on ESPN (or Fox or Gol) after all the talk they have been doing in the build up
mlyons

Why doesn’t ESPN (or any major English-language channel, for that matter) have broadcast rights for this match? They’ve shown all the other World Cup qualifiers, and it’s not like it’s going up against some other major live event or something.
Ryan

Because the Mexican federation wouldn’t sell the game to the US.
morpheus

This is the first time I have heard that Mun2 is in english. The TV guide has the titles of their shows in spanish. So, tonight I will be turning this channel on and hoping that it is in English.
Ryan

Mun2 is about half and half from what I understand, the game is being shown in English though.
andersen

mun2 is widely available, it just goes unnoticed to us because they never show games. In the NYC market it is right next to FSC en espanol.
http://www.worldcupblog.org Daryl

Morpheus, I’m 99% sure that it will be in English on mun2.

From the press release:

This will be the first-ever live sporting event to air on Telemundo and mun2 simultaneously, and the first time mun2 will broadcast a major sporting event. Coverage will begin at 3:55 (p.m. ET) and 12:55 (p.m. PT) on mun2. The network will offer exclusive game announcers, graphics and an English-language feed for this novel mun2 television event.
http://Mexico Daniel

I don’t understand why the Mexican federation wouldn’t sell the rights to show the game abroad. Don’t They want to make money? Who are they trying to harm? I don’t see the logic because there are millions of Mexicans abroad, me included, who would like to see the match. I have to be money disagreement.

Anyway, the matches between US and Mexico are increasing in international popularity. It is an exciting rivalry.
http://www.blueshirtbanter.com Rob

To all the questions about ESPN not having the rights… The long story short is that they couldn’t secure them. Their bid for them wasn’t “good” enough according to the Mexicans, and they therefore didn’t sell them to ESPN.

MUN2 is free today to anyone with a cable box, basically. I live in Central NY state and I looked up Mun2 this morning (Ch. 614, if anyone is in a similar position). Usually its blacked out, saying you have to order it, but when I turned it on today some Petey Pablo video was blaring. Normally I wouldn’t be so excited, but today is a different day from most.

US 2-1, Donavon and Bradley (if they can get out of the first fifteen minutes of each half). THE YANKS ARE COMIN’ SEND THE WORD THE YANKS ARE COMIN’
http://Mexico Daniel

Is it possible to see the match online, in a computer?
http://www.worldcupblog.org Daryl

Daniel, see the very last line of the above post.
Ryan

Also Daniel if you want it in English, try myp2p.eu (It’s not totally legal if that bothers you)
Luka

Sorry, I giggled to myself when I read ‘CONCACAF “only” gets 3.5 World Cup places’.
OhYes

I can’t wait! Good list, Daryl.
Johnny

Woo Hoo, It’s ON!
Kelly

anyone else have att u-verse and know if the game is going to be on Mun2 free? ive never heard of Mun2 and i dont know if it will be available on there.
Kelly

sweet nevermind its on ATT channel 192 for anyone wondering
Seth

Omg…what time will this match be played (NY time??)
http://www.worldcupblog.org Daryl

4pm Eastern Seth.
Joel

I’m watching the “Sportscenter Special” on ESPN right now. It really does seem like they’re giving a crap: reporters and analysts at Azteca, in studio analysis, etc. That was all ruined 2 seconds in when the Sportscenter anchor pronounced Mexico’s nickname as “El Try”. Later he is reviewing US v. Mexico results and says “The score was two . . . nil? Yeah, nil.” Don’t these guys read through these scripts beforehand?
bingitz2002

Gonna be a great game. From my understanding the issue with the rights is that NBC/Telemundo holds the rights for Mexico’s home games, which means ESPN can’t host it and NBC has send the game to it’s subsidiaries in this case Telemundo (Spanish) and mun2 (English). I’ve found mun2 (channel 607 in the North SF Bay), Marcelo Balboa is commentating…might switch to Telemundo soon though the Spanish commentary there is not much better…
Luis Carlos

Great topic!!! The game is on!! go Mexico
mlyons

mun2 turned out not to be available for me (it’s offered by my cable company, but only as part of a “multicultural” upgrade package, and the free preview of it today never materialized), so I had to watch in Spanish.
Unbelievable

Once again we score early and then pack it in. Ridiculous!!! By packing it in we allowed them to score the equalizer in the first half. The 2nd goal imo was lack of form on Donovan’s part. He needs to sprint to cutoff that guys path.

When you are so far back and trying to play two lines of defense, it isn’t going to work allow a guy to gain speed and run at a seam without challenging him. Donovan did it too late, but he had the speed to catch him at the end of the run. Not good. You are playing the most important game you can play in the Concacaf and you cant get that little extra spurt?

Also, it was quite obvious that the US were able to maintain more possesion once Clark and Ching came out. How the hell is Ching still on the team?

The USA was very lucky in the Confed cup. UNTIL YOU CHANGE YOUR MINDSET, you will not get consistant results. Yes, I am also an ex-college player so I know how US coaches prepare their teams and I have also lived abroad for almost 3 yrs and understand how coaches abroad prepare their teams.

You must have enough players on the field to control at least 45% of the game with a country like ours. After we scored it was fort knox. The USA in total spent about 30 minutes packed in. Ridiculous!!! The first goal the Mexicans got was exactly due to that mentality. The second goal was also due to that mentality.

The US tries to play two lines, 4 each, one that is supposed to hold 18 and another above it. The defensive lines ALWAYS breakdown and they claps back where the back 4 line is now at the pk spot and the front 4 line is at the 18. I’m sick and tired of it.

If we are going to lose I want to lose swinging, attacking…Clark was terrible. He couldn’t string any passes together if his life depended on it. Bradley was not good. I still think Spector should’ve played for Demerit. When Holden and Feilhaber came on the US was able to maintain more possesion but unfortunately Donovan couldn’t get the energy to back track, thinking BocaNegra would collapse on the attack. Yea, you can think that if the two lines are far enough away from the goal but the team was sinking back. On the second goal (look at the replay) you have Bradley and Holden practically on the goal line when the ball goes in. WTF???? PUSH OUT!!!

It is amazing how self-delusional Bob Bradley becomes when he tastes a little success from playing soo far backed in. It will NEVER be the right way to play in any environment. 10 minutes only, then you have to attack and take chances moving forward or you will LOSE more times than not. The law of averages dictates it.

I think Freddy Adu in the midfield for Bradley would’ve given the US more possesion. At least the Mexicans wouldn’t have been able to push him off the ball like a northern Euro team. Ridiculous.

Bob Bradley has to go. And don’t give me we have never won in the Azteca. We should expect to win or tie there every year.

GLTTMNT.
adrian Cervantes

mexico is the best! Team in concacaf
Daavid Gomez

Are there any doubts or questions about who is and has ALWAYS been the best team in our zone?
http://www.watchtheworldcuplive.com/ watch the world cup live

Can you watch the world cup live from your services ?

Thanks