U-23 Soccer: USA Takes Down Rival Mexico

To cap off a wonderful Wednesday for the US Soccer Federation, the U-23 National Team defeated the Mexico U-23 team by a score of 2-0 in Dallas.

More than anything, the scoreline indicates that the U-23 team is very equipped for a strong run in the upcoming Olympics in London.

Not only did the United States beat Mexico, it dismantled them.

When watching the match, I could not recall a game where an American side possessed the ball like they did Wednesday night.

The Mexican team got into very little rhythm, and were constantly chasing the ball all around the pitch. It was not until the second half when the Mexicans began applying pressure to the United States' back line.

The starting lineup encompassed a good mix of both European-based players and MLS prospects. In the 4-1-2-3 formation, the attacking core was comprised of Freddy Adu, Juan Agudelo and Joe Gyau.

At midfield, Mikkel "Mix" Diskerud and Joe Corona sat as attacking midfielders, with Alfredo Morales behind them in a defensive role.

In the back, the quartet was made up by Kofi Sarkodie, Ike Opara, Perry Kitchen and Zarek Valentin.

At keeper, Bill Hamid got the call. 

U-23 coach Caleb Porter wants to play with a free flowing, attack-minded style of soccer. From the get go, the squad did just that.

Gyau, the Hoffenheim product, was an absolute terror for the Mexicans to handle. He has sublime pace and often stretched the 'El Tri' defense consistently. He has lightning quick feet and is very technically gifted. 

His potential is truly through the roof, and it would not surprise me to see him get a call up to the senior side soon. Although he hasn't gotten a cap yet for Hoffenheim, he's on the brink of first team action.

Agudelo opened the scoring with a header off of a Diskerud corner in the 35th minute. The Red Bulls forward was dangerous throughout the match. He held the ball up well and was extremely composed. At this point, maturing as a player is the best thing for Agudelo.

He's still relatively green, but he seems to be making strides.

Adu was his usual technical self. He won't blow by anyone with his lack of speed, but he's an adept passer and can create for others. The Philadelphia Union man was very effective in this game and linked up very well with the small triangle passing in tight quarters. 

In the midfield, the trio of Corona, Diskerud and Morales were impressive. Corona, the 21-year-old midfielder playing for Tijuana in Mexico's top flight was very active. Interestingly enough, Corona turned Mexico down in favor of playing for the United States.

Diskerud is perhaps the most mature of the players on the U-23 side. He's been a staple for his Norwegian club Stabaek since he was 17. Currently, he's on loan for Belgian side Gent.

In the match, Diskerud was silky smooth from his deep-lying midfield position. He sprayed the ball around with great precision and was always positioned well.

He not only set up Agudelo's goal, but he was credited with the second goal on a deflection from Adu's long range shot. "Mix" is a very cerebral player and reads the game well.

For being such a technical player, he also was willing to track back and help defensively. He's definitely on Klinsmann's radar as a player who could help the senior side sooner than later.

Morales was a junkyard dog from his defensive midfield spot. He constantly broke up plays with his physicality and showed pretty good technical ability, as well.

The Hertha Berlin player is also eligible to play for Peru and Germany, but looks solid with the United States.

Defensively, the group wasn't spectacular, but rather solid. Kitchen was tidy in the back, and Opara had only a few flubs.

Valentin is a solid player, but he won't often look to make overlapping runs and attack in the final third. Sarkodie has great speed but is susceptible to being out of position. If anything, the outside back position is the weakest for this current pool.

At keeper, both Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid were very good. Hamid started the first half and made two outstanding saves. Johnson had a bit of trouble with distribution, but played pretty well also.

Hamid has the "look" of a keeper ready to go abroad and develop. He truly has all the tools to be a big time player abroad.

As for the substitutes, forward Teal Bunbury was poor. He really needs to start gaining some confidence, because his form has been below par for the better part of a year. With the vast collection of attacking talents, Bunbury could be left off the roster for the Olympics.

Forward Tony Taylor had a few moments, but didn't do too much during his time on the field. The other sub, Dilly Duka, didn't play enough minutes to make an impact.

What was the impact of this game?

Well, it was an incredibly positive result. Beating their biggest rival, and by a comfortable margin, is a huge confidence booster for the team.

As it heads into Olympic qualifying matches, the team has an abundance of confidence. Porter is working very well with this group, and his attacking mindset works well with the strengths of this team.

The scary thing is, the U-23 team won this game handily without a bunch of players who are eligible for the Olympics.

A few of those names include Brek Shea, Josh Gatt, Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Sean Cunningham, Timothy Chandler and Danny Williams.

This is without a doubt the most talented pool of players the United States has ever produced. In addition, the pool is heavy on talented attack minded players—an aspect not seen before.

With this possible roster, medalling in London is not out of the question.