There are eight World Cup qualifiers scheduled for today, but - with all due respect to Azerbaijan vs Germany - the pick of the bunch is easily Mexico vs USA at Estadio Azteca.
Here are 10 reasons to watch…
1. This is the big game in CONCACAF. The Argentina vs Brazil of CONCACAF if you will. The two best teams battling to see who’s boss. So even if you’re not a Mexico or US fan, this game deserves your attention.
2. This isn’t one of those mutual respect rivalries. Or even one of those let’s be friends afterwards rivalries. This is one of those “I’m going to hurt you” rivalries.
3. World Cup places are at stake. Though Mexico and the US are the CONCACAF top dogs, neither top the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group (that honour currently belongs to Costa Rica). USA are in second, Mexico in fourth.
CONCACAF only gets 3.5 World Cup places (top three qualify, fourth plays off vs fifth place CONMEBOL team) so a defeat would be bad news for either team, a draw leaves Mexico still sweating.
4. USA has never - repeat: Never - beaten Mexico at the Azteca. Or anywhere else in Mexico for that matter. Whether it’s the altitude, the hostile reception, or just the pressure, USA’s 23 games south of the border have yielded only 22 defeats and a draw. Or, as Al at Mexico WCB puts it: “Undefeated to the USA at home since the creation of the sport.”
5. Mexico just got a big win in the US. Mexico had a similar problem, having not beat their northern rivals on American soil for over a decade. But that all changed last month with a 5-0 Gold Cup Final win in New Jersey. It may not have been two first XIs, but it was still big psychologically and statistically. And puts even more pressure on the US to get an away win.
6. USA are high on confidence. Ignoring the Gold Cup, the full strength US team just had huge unexpected success at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, beating Spain in the semi-final and coming thisclose to beating Brazil in the final. Bob Bradley has picked more or less the same squad for this game.
7. Sven Goran Eriksson is no longer in charge of Mexico. Which is good news for anyone looking to enjoy a football match. At any level.
8. ESPN are doing a pre-game show… even though they don’t have the US broadcast rights for the actual game. Which is insane when you think about it. For those in America who actually want to watch the game, it will be on Telemundo in Spanish, and on the little known Mun2 in English. Mun2 will be available free of charge in most media markets, apparently.
9. The Estadio Azteca. USA may not enjoy visiting, but the atmosphere should be incredible. Estadio Azteca holds 105,000 and will be full for this game. Which should look a little something like this:
10. Our coverage here on World Cup Blog. El Tri fans can read Al’s preview on Mexico WCB. USA fans can follow Brooks and Marlon’s LiveBlog on USA WCB.
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