Azteca Stadium? Jurgen Klinsmann, USMNT Have Now Been There, Conquered That

The quicker we rush through the required disclaimer, the quicker we can start having the real discussion.

When the United States men's national team defeated Mexico 1-0 on Wednesday night at the Azteca Stadium, it was only a friendly against a somewhat-less-than-full-strength "El Tri" lineup, and the result didn't actually mean anything.

Got it? Good, now flush that junk out of your brain, because almost none of it is true.

The part about the U.S. beating Mexico in Mexico? Yeah, that's true, improbably and gratifyingly so, and if we here in the USA are the fans we always claim to be, our neighbors down south will never, ever forget about it.

The rest, though, is complete bunk.

El Tri at less than full strength? Nice try, but the only true regular missing from the Mexican side last night was Giovani dos Santos. And anyway, the U.S. team was at decidedly lower strength without Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley.

Meaningless game? Hardly. When these two teams meet, there's always something on the line. The classy Mexican fans who booed "The Star Spangled Banner" and hurled liquid-filled objects onto the pitch after the final whistle paid testament to that.

No, this game was far from meaningless. World Cup qualification was not on the line, but the result was monumental anyway. For both sides, this game is always a hatefest—forever a grudge match, always a measuring stick.

To put a non-soccer spin on it, Mexico is the Ohio State to our Michigan, the Red Sox to our Yankees (actually, we'd probably be the Sox in that analogy, but how could we liken Mexico to Yankees?) and the Auburn to our Alabama (actually, switch that so we can have Cam Newton).

And last night, we beat them on their own turf in one of the biggest, baddest, scariest stadiums in the Western Hemisphere, in a match we had no business winning.

That had never happened before. Ever.

Forget the Italy win for a moment. That was great too, but this is something else entirely.

Beating your biggest rival, on their own hallowed turf, in a match you had no business showing up to, a game that was supposed to be a Rocky vs. Apollo-style showcase for Mexico's Olympic gold medalists, is huge.

More than that, it's Jurgen Klinsmann's signature win.

And with World Cup qualification heating up, it should serve as a confidence booster and invaluable preview of the cauldron-like atmosphere the Azteca can generate.

(That raises the question: Why, again, did Mexico agree to play the U.S. at the Azteca when nothing was on the line? Even if the U.S. had lost, any match in the intimidating stadium helps to demystify it even a little).

Admittedly, the style of victory and the aesthetics of accomplishing it won't measure up to Klinsmann's lofty ambitions for the U.S. The midfield struggled—to put it nicely—to hold possession, and the team moved with roughly the same fluidity as a ton of bricks.

In fact, the American win owed more to parking the bus than beautiful football, and what's more, Mexico missed a series of chances, notably a wide-open header that Chicharito flicked wide of the far post in the second half.

But still, the heroes were aplenty.

Geoff Cameron, signed recently by Stoke City to play midfield in the English Premier League, starred at center-back, gobbling up cross after cross and (mostly) keeping Chicharito quiet atop the Mexican attack.

Tim Howard, playing the role of captain for the night, lived up to the armband and furthered his growing legend with a string of top-class saves late in the second half. For all the importance of Donovan and Dempsey, Howard might be America's most crucial player.

And then there was Michael Orozco Fiscal, the light-scoring and sometimes light-defending full-back, the player on the fringes of the team, who popped up at the far post to score the winning goal with 10 minutes to play.

In truth, the goal had more to do with Brek Shea's run-and-cross and Terrence Boyd's no-look backheel flick.

But Orozco Fiscal was in the right place at the most perfect time imaginable, and with one kick, he ended 75 years of American frustration in Mexico.

Funny, that. It wasn't the prettiest performance, and the goal scorer wasn't exactly a memorable hero of American sport.

But altogether, the events of Wednesday night made Team USA's all-time record against Mexico in Mexico, which now stands at a proud 1-23-1, look absurdly pretty.

Follow @MikeCummings37