The Battle of the Auld Enemies This Side of the Pond at the Azteca Stadium
It was quite a dramatic finale between the Auld enemies yesterday.. Amidst a fanatical atmosphere at the Azteca Stadium, expect tackles to fly in quick and fast. Mexico is running away with the hex and have all but qualified for Russia 2018. The U.S. could use at least a draw to enhance there chances of qualifying. It will be a tough ask as they only twice gained a point at the Azteca in all World Cup qualifiers played by the U.S. in Mexico. It's a must see.
posted by manunitedrules @ 8:20 PM
146 Comments:
They're off from Estadio Azteca
Hiya Al-Prez. I don't hold out any real hope tonight. Does the Mad Hatter think that playing so many B's tonight will confuse El Tri? Even without Corona, we could get severely humped tonight.
My hope is that it won't be humiliating, that Johnny Two Saints gets kicked around so that he needs a spell in an iron lung to recover, and that the Mexican players have coreographed an amusing Anti-#45* goal celebration.
Here we go.
Old man, Beasely, down after appearing to be elbowed in the back of the head by Carlos Salcedo
What the hell is wrong with Saledo? What an animal.
Now Bobby Wood is elbowed in the head and nary a card for either player.
Good evening, Gooner. Agreed. He should have been sent off twice by now. Not even a booking.
GOAL !!!!! ONE OF THE B'S SCORES. IT'S BOB BRADLEY WITH AN AUDACIOUS CHIP FROM NEAR THE HALFWAY LINE IN FRONT OF 120,000 FANS IN THE AZTECA.
Two consecutive U.S. corners.
How did the goal originate. A poor back pass from Chicha at the halfway line and BB had the presence of mind to pick off the pass , run about ten yards and chip Ochoa , who was well off his line,.
Geoff Cameron heads out a dangerous cross for a Mexican corner.
Fantastic response to a very dispicable volley of elbows from Salcedo. Now I'm hoping Salcedo put it in his own net.
Johnny 2 Saints just wide with a long range effort off a short free kick
So close. Our guys need to be much shaper on the restart.
The fact that Chicha assisted on the U.S. goal must make him wish the ground would swallow him up. That's just as satidfying
Anyone but JSS, please. Or Salcedo.
Gio 2 Saints fouls old man, Beasely.
Omar Gonzalez has a free header, but heads wide off the free kick. The offside flag saves his blushes.
Man, we are under siege.
OH!!!! Gonzalez clears off the line as Chicha is down injured after his shot was cleared as he chipped the on rushing Guzan
The corner is headed out by the goal scorer.
Pretty pathetic if a corner can't beat the first man at this altitude and El Tri is used to these conditions.
Mexico cannot clear the U.S. corner then Gonzalez whiffs at it and it goes to Ochoa.
GOAL !!! CARLOS VELA TIES IT UP SECONDS LATER.
Bloody hell, the laziest Gooner in history ties it up. Guzan nowhere near. That gamble not paying off.
How about eleven seconds later. Ochoa with a long throw to Chicha at the halfway line. He dummied Beasley then found Vela down the right. He cut in then beat Guzan at the near post
Taylor Twellman noticing 25 minutes after the Mexicans have that Beasley is not up to it any more.
Acosta fouls Chicha about thirty yards from goal. The free kick is high and wide.
We noticed that 24 minutes and 59 seconds ago.
I forgot about him with the Gunners. It's tossup between him and the beast for laziest Gooner. Beaker is not too far behind.
Hard to believe we're already a half hour in. It's been a lightning quick first half.
Gallardo on for the injured Oscar Alanis as Osorio is forced to make a substitution.
Mexico is awarded a corner as Chicha obviously fouled Yedlin.
There is no outlet up front that can hold the ball more than a second. Pulisic getting knocked around. Our defenders stretched all over the pitch.
Pulisic is alarmingly frustrated by this. Hopefully he can get down the tunnel before he picks up a yellow.
Also, I thought Yedlin was supposed to be fast. He needs to be first to that every single time.
Marco Fabian conveniently down injured as the U.S. were on the attack.
I guess he really is injured. Did he get a thigh strain tackling Bobby Wood?
Good point, Gooner. The U.S. needs to utilize the speed of Pulisic more and do a better job of ball retention.
Zip-it about Özil. Al-Prez.
Beasely wins a corner off a long ball from BB and now the old man is down with what appears to be cramp.
Beasley's down again. At least he's eligible for Medicare.
Yedlin gets the first card which is patently ridiculous. Salcedo's two elbows should have added up to a red, and Chicha's diving deserves a yellow too.
Whew, let me catch my breath. I think we're very lucky to be tied up, and very lucky not to be hobbled by a yellow to more than just Yedlin.
The worrisome thing about this is that it has the feel of one of those matches where if Mexico scores and goes ahead, it won't end there.
It's 1-1 at the end of a breathtaking half. Hoping that the U.S. can get on top in the second half.
The second half is underway and Mexico attack from the off.
Elbows Salcedo volleys well wide off the corner from Johnny 2 Saints.
Johnny 2 Saints upends old man, Beaseley.
Hiya, lads - I'm back from dinner and settling in to watch the second half on the Fox Soccer 2 Go link.
The Yanks appear to be having trouble getting out of our own half.
Good evening, Bob. Great to have you on board. You're bruv has been chatting on here this evening.
Hiya Bob. It's a tense siege after a promising opening. The Mad Hatter has picked a squad to start that keeps important players off the pitch so that they don't collect a suspension with another yellow. I guess that's Brooks, Dempsey, and Nagbe notably.
Javi Aquino on for Marco Fabian. Corozan will be pleased.
I would have risked those players in a game of this magnitude and importance.
No commentary on the link here - probably a blessing in disguise.
Good lord, Guzan can't kick a ball into their half now.
If he's the Mad Hatter then did he have a spell in charge of Luton Town?
Sounds as if the Mexicans are trying to bait our boys into fouling and cards, no?
Yedlin fouled by Moreno. How is that not a booking?
Arriola booked for a foul from behind on Corozan Aquino.
Yedlin draws a foul near half way but the free kick comes to nothing and Arriola foolishly picks up a yellow.
Correct. He's letting El Tri get away with bloody murder./
Twellman took 25 minutes to see that Beasely should get a compassionate pass to use a mobility scooter.
It's the same thing that plagued England's commentary when it was too matey between the team upstairs and the players on the field.
Any news on his application for Medicare? The latest I heard is that the status is pending.
The ref's not giving anything now, but will give the Mexicans a penalty if it remains nil-nil.
Too bad El Tri didn't get the choreography out and do an Anti-#45* goal celebration.
Chance for the US now off a corner. Let's do summit with it.
Pulisic gets behind the Mexican defense and wins a corner off of Herrera.
I mean they couldn't have inked Mal Hombre onto an undershirt?
Acosta wins a corner off of Moreno.
Oh - that was a close call - nearly there at the near post! Knocked out for a corner again.
I perish the thought about what that Trump goal celebration would have been - Russian hookers peeing on him?
It should say Muy Mal.
I'm sure Trump's priority is the Confeds Cup. He'll surely be there next weekend.
That would have been great. I did notice a sad sight at the end of the US v. Trini match the other night. When they were swapping shirts, a Trini striker took his shirt off to reveal an undershirt that read something like, "We did the improbable - underdogs 2017!"
A bit sad.
Nagbe on for Arriola and about bloody time. Can he change the course of the match?
A couple of them on the ground while the rest of them gleefully jump over them?
I've just gone back and looked at the Bradley goal again - one of the best features of these Fox links - what a finish!
Someone has to pack the orange fright wig up his kit, though. That's a lot of prep.
The Ex Gooner fouled by BB.
Sloppy foul by Bradley there.
Yeah, the Bradley goal was tremendous in technique and execution.
Oh - off the bar!
OH!!!! The free kick from Herrera cannons off the bar. A let off for the U.S.
OOOOFFFF. So close by Herrera. Yikes.
It was also a great assist from Chicha. That is easy to overlook.
At this point we look as if we will be happy just to get back into the dressing room with a point.
Nevermind the STEM gap that the US is suffering from. Close the damn left back gap already.
The fans are in fiesta mood, despite the scoreline.
Oh - Bradley tries his luck again from distance and hits the post! If that had gone in, the US bench would have been having kittens!
OH!!! A rare chance for the U.S. as a long range effort from Bradley comes off the outside of the post.
Hell yes. A draw would be an amazing result tonight.
End to end stuff now - Cameron with a great block out for a corner.
Cameron with a heroic clearance off a cross from Lozano for a Mexican corner that is cleared
It sure would be . Still a long way to go.
Mexico all over us now - they look dangerous every time they come forward. Not liking it.
Chicha well offside as he thought he was in position to give Mexico the lead.
Where is Chicha playing these days - somewhere in Spain?
The final roll of the dice for Osorio as Pineda is on for Johnny 2 Saints.
He's playing for Bayer Leverkusen and it's not a headache for him.
Oooh - that would have been a lovely own goal off the Mexican keeper's chest there.
He's played there for the past two seasons.
Boom boom - that's Statto!
Oh - Acquino snuck in at the back post and should have scored. Ballooned it over thankfully.
Aquino with a shot that lands in Row E with just Brad Bob Guzan to beat.
Jozy on now - not sure why - to hold up the ball perhaps?
Jozy on for Bobby Wood.
Cheers, mate. I try
That's what I was thinking with that change,.
This is how Mexico reacted to Bradley's goal. Fizzing it around, Chicha and Lozano JUST not able to get onto a through ball,, and a solid wall of them across the field picking off all our outlets.
Jozy on for a very tireless but ultimately ineffective Wood
Rubbish long throw routine comes to nothing. Who do we think we are - Stoke City?
If Chicha is playing for Bayer then he must be quite a pill!
That's right. I saw him play there in the Europa this year. Well-in Al-Prez
Tim Ream battles back well there. Just about ten minutes left now. Hang in there, lads!
Lozano just discovered that it's diffcult to get past defenders, whose club footie is played at the Cottage. Right, Bob?
Ow! What about your oath not to use your powers for goodness, AP?
The Mexican fans are risking a FIFA fine with that "ehhhhh puto" chant at goal kicks. Not really on in 2017 is it?
Another free kick for El Tri. This time the free kick from Herrera is about twenty feet higher than the last one.
Absolutely right, mate.
FIFA seems to be turning a blind eye on that chant.
Sure fine, but they'll pay it. Make them play a match like this behind closed doors it they're serious. Which they are not.
Yedlin tackles for yet another Mexican corner.,
Argh! Jozy can't keep coughing up the ball in our own half.
How about docking them ten points or banning them from the next World Cup. That will make them think twice.
Any worse than Chicha coughing up those Bayers?
Five minutes and change now - hang in there!
PUlisic picks up the long goal kick from Guzan, cuts in then shoots well wide.
OH! That would have done it.
Oh - Politic iwht a marvelous run but his curler just didn't quite curl enough. Big chance.
We need to be hanging on to the ball a bit more now.
Three minutes of stoppage time.
3 minutes is a gift! Hold on guys
Is Guzan hurting or just time wasting? Not sure.
Tiime wasting.
Pulisic is booed as he's replaced by Zusi. I don't see the point of this change.
That's nice - Beasley really taking his time with the throw in. And Pulisic will come off to waste more time. How was he tonight? Any service at all?
Jozi wins a really late U.S. corner.
Wake up Little Zusi is on for Pulisic. Hold on.
Cameron sticks out a boot to kick out a pass from Lozano for a Mexican corner
Oh - that was dangerous. Fortunately out for a corner. Hang on!
It's over and the U.S. hold to gain a creditable 1-1 draw in the Azteca.
That's it - a very serviceable 1-1 result for us, by the looks of it. US players seem really happy. And well they should be.
Nice one , Gooner! Great reference.
Heart stopping block from Cameron.
And it's a draw. Fantastic result.
Did the Mad Hatter get hit by something from the stands? I hope so. That's a definite venue ban.
Nice pun from the Gooner! You and MUR are on fire!
If the U.S. win their reaming home matches then they should qualify for next summer's World Cup.
Water bottles are the weapon of choice towards visiting teams in this region.
Off to Russia With Love for El Tri.
Enjoyed it, lads - thanks for keeping the LOB home fires burning tonight. Cheerio!
Cheers, Bob and Steve . Great chatting with you. Have a great week. Hope to chat next weekend when the Confeds Cup starts.
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