The biggest soccer rivalry in CONCACAF will be renewed on Friday when the national teams of Mexico and the United States square off in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier.
These teams know each other very well having played each other numerous times over the years. Let’s preview the game and predict a winner.
USA
The United States will be looking to get revenge for their loss against Mexico in the all-important winner take all CONCACAF elimination game back in October 2015. Mexico won that game 3-2 which gave them the right to represent North America in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
What’s done is done, and it’s time for the USA to move on. They now have to focus on the FIFA World Cup qualifiers where the top three squads are guaranteed a spot in the all-important 2018 FIFA World Cup.
USA hasn’t lost a game since they were defeated by the Colombian’s back in June in the Copa America. Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann has opted to go with Tim Howard as his starting goalkeeper for Friday night’s game, which by all soccer experts accounts, is a wise decision. In all honestly, neither team really has a great defense, so don’t be surprised if we see a high scoring game.
The United States’ next game will be against Costa Rica on Nov. 15.
Mexico
Mexico may be playing on the road, but they know they’re fully capable of beating the Americans on American soil. The biggest advantage Mexico has over the U.S. is their offense, which is led by superstar forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
Hernandez has 45 career international goals for Mexico. That’s just one away from the great Jared Borgetti for the most in Mexican National Team history.
Mexico is currently the No. 17 ranked team in the world and No. 1 in CONCACAF. The United States is No. 24. Mexico’s biggest strength is their middle fielders led by Andrés Guardado, Giovani dos Santos and Jonathan dos Santos. Goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera is expected to get the start in net.
Mexico will play Panama in their next game on the road on Nov. 15.
Schedule
Mexico and the United States will play each other on Friday night beginning at 8 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be shown on FS1. You can watch a live game stream here.
Prediction
The last three meetings between these two teams have given us three different results; a Mexican win, a U.S. win and a draw. Anything can happen when these two collide. The U.S. has the edge in goal as well as home field advantage, but Mexico’s middle field knows how to control the ball and eat up the clock. These two squads are very evenly matched, both with their strengths and flaws.
Prediction: 2-2 draw
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