U.S.-Mexico in another intense Cup qualifier
Taylor Twellman has played in and watched the U.S.-Mexico rivalry: Typically intense, physical matchups in front of frenzied fans who savor the often bruising battles between the top teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Fervor reaches an apex in World Cup qualifying, but Friday’s game at Cincinnati and the return match at Mexico City in March are likely to be the last of these high-stakes meetings because of FIFA’s never-ending campaign to increase tournament fields and revenue, which dilutes the urgency of the matchup.
“It’s about the bottom line,” Twellman, a former U.S. forward and current ESPN analyst, said
Wednesday, blaming FIFA and the European governing body UEFA for constant expansion.
“More interest means more dollars. Those two organizations could care less about anything else.”
The U.S beat Mexico 3-2 in the CONCACAF Nations League final at Denver in June on Christian Pulisic’s 114th-minute penalty kick and then, with a roster of mostly backups, defeated El Tri 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Las Vegas on Aug. 1 behind Miles Robinson’s 117th minute goal.
“I remember in the Nations League, the atmosphere of the game and the environment and the intensity of the game shows how much of a big game it is for us,” said midfielder Yunus Musah, who was on the bench in Denver. “The game’s going to be intense. It’s going to be hectic.”
Mexico, ranked ninth in the world, leads the eightnation final round of World Cup qualifying with 14 points. The 13th-ranked U.S. is second with 11 points going into the match at TQL Stadium, which marks the halfway point of the 14-game schedule.
“It’s just a dogfight,” defender DeAndre Yedlin said.
“It’s never the prettiest game, I would say. But it is usually quite an entertaining game.”
Elsewhere: Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Aminata Diallo has been taken into police custody in connection with an attack on one of her teammates, prosecutors said. Diallo, 26, was arrested on Wednesday morning by Versailles police as part of an investigation into “an attack on the club’s players” last Thursday evening, PSG said in a statement. The Versailles prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest and that Kheira Hamraoui had been attacked. No other details were given. Hamraoui and Diallo are PSG teammates and the midfielders also play for France’s national team.
ETC.
Tennis: Andy Murray defeated top-seeded Jannik Sinner 7-6 (4), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open. It was Murray's second victory over a top-10 opponent in the past two weeks after the three-time Grand Slam champion, who has had two hip surgeries, beat Hubert Hurkacz in Vienna. Murray broke the 20-year-old Italian, who is ranked 10th, twice in the second set on his way to victory. In the opener, he took his first set point after having saved the only break point. “It’s probably my best win this season,” said Murray, 34, a former world No. 1. … Favorite Carlos Alcaraz of Spain booked his place in the semifinals with a
4-3 (4), 4-1, 4-3 (4) win over American Brandon Nakashima at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. Alcaraz has not dropped a set in his two Group A matches at the roundrobin tournament for the top 21-and-under players on the ATP Tour. Nakashima, who beat Francisco Cerundolo in their opener, will face Holger Rune of Denmark for the other semifinal place from Group A. Rune earlier kept his hopes alive by beating Cerundolo 4-1, 4-2, 1-4, 4-1. … Alison Riske defeated Chinese qualifier
Wang Xinyu 6-3, 7-5 to set up an all-American semifinal against Danielle Collins at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz.
NHL: Defenseman
Josh Brown became the sixth Ottawa Senators player in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol Wednesday, with the team canceling practice for precautionary reasons. The Senators are to host Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Auto racing: Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood will drive for A.J. Foyt Racing in IndyCar next season. Kirkwood will drive Foyt’s flagship No. 14 Chevrolet, which was driven by Sebastien Bourdais car last season. Bourdais is switching to full-time sports car competition.