USMNT ties Mexico in World Cup Qualifier
March 27, 2013
While the World Cup won't be held until next year, qualifying action is already well under way. Tuesday saw the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) take on Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The hard-fought game ended in a 0-0 draw. This is only the second time that the U.S. has avoided defeat against Mexico at their home stadium, and the first point they've earned in qualifying against Mexico since 1997.
The tie against the much-favored Mexican squad comes only days after the team's memorably snow-covered 1-0 victory against Costa Rica. Juergen Klinsmann [diff spellings], the USMNT's coach, claims that the team is on a roll despite the challenges they've faced, and is optimistic that they will return to tournament play when the World Cup heads to Brazil next year.
"We're on the right track here," Klinsmann told the press, as reported by Reuters. "After the Costa Rica game they were completely exhausted from playing in the snow blizzard. Then we had another two players out… So this group has shown they are ready for those challenges and they deserve a huge compliment."
While the game was a thrilling exhibition by two strong teams, it was not without controversy. A number of questionable calls seemed to work against the Mexican team, including two uncalled fouls in the box. Though Mexico suffered the brunt of these events, the U.S. was not immune to the shaky refereeing. A strong attack in the 15th minute of play capped off with a wide header by Geoff Cameron should have lead to a corner, which was instead nullified by a phantom whistle.
Despite these iffy calls, the team played well, and remains confident that they could be ready to make a splash in the global soccer community.
"This is still a team that over the years has shown that when big moments come, when the spotlight comes on brightest that's something we relish," midfielder Michael Bradley told the news provider. "We still have lot of things to improve on but when you look at the mentality of the team and what it look likes when we step on the field I think there is still a lot to be proud of."
The World Cup is an event that tends to bring together people from across the globe. Soccer fans can keep up to date on all of the latest happenings in the push toward the tournament by investing in international calling cards.