Mexico-United States: World Cup Qualifier Preview

On Aug. 12, the United States national team will head into the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to take on arch rival Mexico in a World Cup qualifier.

Recently, the United States squad gave up five second-half goals in the Gold Cup final on July 25 to Mexico in a 5-0 loss. Since that game, many American fans have looked to this matchup in the Azteca as a way to rebound from that devastating loss.

Meanwhile, the Mexicans have been looking forward to this match, as it is a chance for them to get back on track for World Cup qualifying, and to also beat the United States in Mexico.

Here is a preview of the match from the Mexican and American sides, and what each respective side has to do in order to achieve success at the Azteca.

Mexico

After disappointments already in 2010 World Cup qualifying, and people calling for Javier Aguirre to be dismissed as national team manager, Mexico have started to rebound as they won 5-0 in the United States in the Gold Cup final over the Americans, and appear to have the momentum in this rivalry.

They also have a major advantage in having the Estadio Azteca as their home stadium, as the Mexicans are 22-0-1 all-time against the Americans at the Azteca, and will have the home crowd on their side in this important match.

The Mexicans will have to do several things in order to succeed in this important match.

First, expect Mexico to come out and use the Azteca to their advantage, as the Mexican fans can really make this a hostile match.

Also, expect Mexico to expect the Americans' hunger to win this match, and expect the Mexicans to make an attempt to contain them.

And, the Mexicans really need to win this match for World Cup qualifying, as they currently are in fourth in CONCACAF, and as of right now, they wouldn't automatically qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Finally, the Azteca's altitude will be a major advantage for the Mexicans over their American rivals, and this factor could be the deciding point in the entire match.

If Mexico could do all of these tasks, they will have a great chance of succeeding in this critical match.

United States

After an unbelievable run at the Confederations Cup in June, and a run to the Gold Cup final in July, the United States look to go and beat Mexico on Aug. 12.

However, the American squad will have to deal with the intimidating atmosphere of the Estadio Azteca, with its high altitude and the fact that the American squad has an all-time record of 0-22-1 at the Azteca in their history.

Also, after the 5-0 embarrassment to Mexico in the Gold Cup final, people have once again started to question American manager Bob Bradley's job security, and this match is extremely important in case he is to stay as the American manager.

In order for the United States to succeed in this match, they will need to accomplish several tasks to gain a positive result.

First, expect the United States to go into this match with a must-win attitude, as they want to overcome the embarrassment of the Gold Cup final, and show everyone that they are a team that wants to succeed.

Also, expect the American defense and keeper Tim Howard to play strong against the Mexican attack, as they don't want to give the Mexicans a lead at any point in the match.

Expect the offense to pounce on any opportunity that it might get, as they will need to get positive momentum.

Finally, the Americans cannot give in to Mexico, as they will need to work with the situation that is in front of them.

If the Americans could do all of these tasks, they will have a great chance of succeeding in this major match.

Expect a great match between the United States and Mexico in this important World Cup qualifier, as this will be a classic encounter between two national teams in need of an important victory in order to qualify for the World Cup next year.