Mexico vs. USA: My Thoughts on a Humbling Loss

As eleven white jerseys marched solemnly into the sea of green fans at Estadio Azteca, expectations were low, predictions were cautious, and spirits were dampened as jeers and boos echoed from every corner of the 100,000+ in Mexico City on Wednesday.

The boys from America were not supposed to win, and they never had: ever. Mexico came into the match with the upper hand, including a historically decisive home field advantage.

The 2-1 loss was difficult to swallow, but the match itself was easy enough to understand. Here were some things that factored into the loss:

• The United States was out-possessed. They repeatedly gave away possession in too long, useless, passes that developed, quite simply, into turnovers. 
• Transition from the midfield to the strikers was poor. This caused rare scoring opportunities, resulting in a lopsided 15-4 shot tally.
• The officiating was...let's say "not helpful". The US National Team needed all the help they could get on Wednesday, and the four men in red did not give them the benefit of the doubt.
• A bit of bad luck. The second goal from Mexico came from a unlucky deflection inside the penalty area, leaving Miguel Sabah with a gorgeous scoring chance.
• The bottom line: El Tri was the better team. Possession was the most obvious problem to anyone that saw the match and the US was lucky to come anywhere close to a draw.

Luck and/or officiating should not have to shoulder the blame for a loss that was only the fault of the US Men. The Americans were humbled by a overwhelming defeat, but rightfully so.

Mexico was the better team and the better team won. The United States were eight minutes from stealing a point from the Mexicans on their home turf and that would have been a miracle.

The United States soccer program is on the rise, but it still has a long way to go if they wish to find success next summer.

You don't have to agree with me, feel free to comment.