USA, Mexico play 1-1 tie in Cup qualifier
Bradley goal gives boost, but hosts rally for equalizer
Michael Bradley scored a sensational goal that fast-tracked itself to the highlight reel and the defense withstood sustained pressure, but Sunday night’s World Cup qualifier ended with the U.S. men’s soccer team still having never won a meaningful game on Mexican soil.
A hard-fought 1-1 tie at historic Estadio Azteca was far from being a bad result as the USA managed to avoid defeat here for only the third time in competitive games and gave its chances of booking a spot in next summer’s World Cup in Russia a simultaneous boost.
“It’s a shame to give away the goal that we did,” U.S. captain Bradley said in a Fox Sports 1 interview. “Any time you can get a point here, it’s great. … Now we can move ourselves forward.”
For a while, it looked like this cool evening on the outskirts of Mexico’s capital might produce more than a tie for the USA.
That was when Bradley captured a moment to remember in the sixth minute, collecting the ball just past the halfway line, advancing and launching a sensational strike.
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa had strayed too far from his line, and Bradley clipped the ball over him from 35 yards, perfectly struck and timed, to give the visitors a shocking lead.
The hosts were shaken, but Mexico can currently lay claim to being the CONCACAF region’s best team for a reason.
A spectacular counterattack evened the score in the 23rd minute, Javier Hernandez feeding the ball to Carlos Vela, who sprinted wide, cut inside and, as the Americans scrambled to recover, drilled a low, left-footed shot inside goalkeeper Brad Guzan’s near post.
Guzan was repeatedly taunted with an offensive slur, as is the norm for visiting goalkeepers here, and the home crowd booed the U.S. national anthem. But as the game wore on, by far the greatest discomfort for the Americans came from the attacking force of their rivals.
Hector Herrera came closest. He aimed a sweet free kick with 20 minutes left that beat Guzan’s dive but crashed into the underside of the crossbar, perhaps just an inch away from securing what would surely have been a decisive blow.
Shortly after, Bradley had a chance for a second magical strike, firing one from long distance that found the outside of Ochoa’s post.
By that point, the pace was relentless. Chances came and went, most of them for Mexico. Vela smashed one over the bar.
The USA’s Christian Pulisic, kept quiet for the most part, curled a midrange effort wide. Geoff Cameron and DeAndre Yedlin made crucial interventions in the U.S. defense.
In the end, a draw was probably the correct result.
Given Mexico’s outstanding home record, a point secured here could prove to be highly valuable. The USA sits on eight points from six games and is in third place — for now — in the CONCACAF group, which will send three automatic qualifiers to the World Cup and a fourth team into a playoff.