Can’t make it to Mexico City in time for the 9:30 p.m. CT kick? Join the Amercian Outlaws Kansas City watch party at Johnny’s Tavern in the Power and Light District. Arrive early ladies and gents; it should be a packed house.
The U.S. Men’s National Team faces Mexico tonight in the Final Round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. The game kicks off at 9:30 p.m. CT at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Tonight’s match is the third game for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 10-game Hexagonal that began on February 6th and ends on October 15th.
The U.S. Men’s National Team is 16-32-12 all-time against Mexico. In Mexico, the U.S. record stands at 1-23-1. The team earned their first victory in Mexico last year during an international friendly on August 15, 2012. Sporting Kansas City centerback Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi were on the roster for the historic triumph and both remain available as the U.S. MNT attempt to end Mexico’s 25 game unbeaten streak (16 straight at Estadio Azteca) in home World Cup Qualifying matches. In 75 qualifying matches, Mexico has only lost once at home, against Costa Rica in 2001.
The United States Men’s National Team are coming off a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica on Friday. Zusi earned his seventh start and tallied 75 minutes in the match improving his already impressive record when starting for the United States to 6-0-1. Besler is looking for his second cap with the squad and first appearance in a World Cup Qualifying match. Besler was rated the National Team’s top performer back in January when he made his USMNT debut in an international friendly against Canada according to the U.S. Soccer Castrol Index.
While on the topic of notable performances, Jurgen Klinsmann, the USMNT manager, has never lost to Mexico in his professional career. He holds a illustrious 3-0-3 record all-time against the Mexican side. As a player on the German National Team, Klinsmann was 1-0-2 against Mexico. He added another win against Mexico during his tenure as the German National Team coach. Since Klinsmann was named the U.S. manager on July 29, 2011, the U.S. Men’s National Team has a 1-0-1 record against El Tri. Klinsmann’s debut as the team’s manager resulted in a 1-1 draw against Mexico on August 10, 2011. A year later, Klinsmann coached the U.S. to their distinguished win at Estadio Azteca.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN, WatchESPN and Univision. You can also follow the match on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer.
