TheNearPostMexico may have dominated possession, but in hindsight, they really didn't make much of it. In fact, there wasn't a clear-cut chance all night long, and yes, that includes the Mexican goal, which was a strange strike in and of itself. Still, the issue remained that the USA were camped inside their own half and struggled to get service to their lone striker Edson Buddle in the first half, and when they did, support was even scarcer still.

The simple fact is that this wasn't incredibly different from what American and Mexican fans were used to in their rivalry - rough game, few clear chances, possession going Mexico's way, and, until recently, goals going the USA's. It seemed nothing had changed for the USA, despite the fact that things obviously had, what with a new coach.

However, things finally did change in the second half. Juergen Klinsmann decided to bring on Brek Shea, and Juan Agudelo for Jermain Jones and Edson Buddle respectively, and eventually Robbie Rogers for Michael Bradley. The first thing this brought was natural width. The USA had Jose Francisco Torres and Landon Donovan on the flanks Both looked to come inside( although Donovan did hit one fairly good cross in the first half). Torres is generally a deep-lying playmaker who likes to set the tone of the game, and he wasn't getting the ball enough, or in good enough positons, to do that. Donovan was quite simply more dangerous in a free role. I was actually caught off guard by how well he did there, as I've generally thought his ability to find space was poor, but he was able to drive at the backline from different angles tonight, and it gave Mexico headaches.

However, the biggest thing that made a difference in the USA's play was the positivity to their approach. Rather than sitting deep and waiting to counter, the USA got in Mexico's faces, giving them less time on the ball and winning the ball back in better spots. Moreover, the USA commited more numbers forward. This directly affected Agudelo, whose creativity in his movement and link-up play was better than Buddle's, who, to be fair, didn't get much support. The goal was a direct result of Agudelo's movement and hold up play on a throw-in, running to the end-line to receive a pass laying it off for Brek Shea, who held off one Mexican defender, drew another, and sent in a good cross for Robbie Rogers at the back post for an easy tap in.

This new positivity was indicative of what Juergen has been offering for US Soccer as a whole - in it's youth development, it's structure, and it's style of play. My worry was how that would translate on the field, and so far, I'd say it's been pretty successful, pulling out a draw in a game where many USA fans were expecting, to be completely frank, a wipeout.

11.08.2011