USMNT v MexicoDate: 11/11/2016
Time: 7:45 ET
TV: FS1
Location: MAPFRE Stadium (Columbus, OH)
Watch with your #AOFamily at one of our 190 chapter bars!THE HYPE
It’s the big one, ladies and gents…. That one match that all USMNT fans wait for each qualifying cycle, and it is upon us.
The USMNT faces you-know-who Friday in Columbus in the 5th chapter of what has become the greatest tradition in U.S. Soccer: beating Mexico in World Cup Qualifying in Columbus. This match will host over 8K American Outlaws, which will be largest organized supporters section in USA Soccer history. It is now our job to make our voices heard and give our team the home field advantage that we as supporters create.
Rivalry aside, Friday night’s match is the first of the Hex and it feels imperative that we get our WCQ campaign started with three points and the momentum for the next few months. We all know that CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying is never easy, and we take pride in our team always doing the business to get us to the world stage each cycle.
So, let’s get to the teams. Mexico head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has his team playing well since taking over, posting a 12-1-3 record since his arrival. What is unfortunate for him is that he’s playing the USMNT at home, which means that he’s about to experience sadness. Here’s the full squads:
GK: Guillermo Ochoa, Alfredo Talavera, Jesus Corona
DEF: Rafa Marquez, Nestor Araujo, Diego Reyes, Hector Moreno, Oswaldo Alanis, Hugo Ayala, Carlos Salcedo, Miguel Layun
MID: Jonathan dos Santos, Orbelin Pineda, Jesus Dueñas, Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera, Giovani dos Santos, Marco Fabian
FOR: Raul Jimenez, Hirving Lozano, Jesus Corona, Javier Aquino, Oribe Peralta, Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela
GK: Brad Guzan, Ethan Horvath, Tim Howard, William Yarbrough
DEF: Matt Besler, Steve Birnbaum, John Brooks, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Timmy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, Michael Orozco, DeAndre Yedlin
MID: Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Lynden Gooch, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan, Christian Pulisic, Caleb Stanko, Graham Zusi
FOR: Jozy Altidore, Alan Gordon, Aron Johannsson, Bobby Wood
Howard is back in goal for this match. The backline will lean on the veteran for guidance, who will have their hands full. The big question is, who will pair with John Brooks? Beez, Birnbaum, and Gonzalez are the obvious candidates, but it’s likely coming down to who trained well this week. Chandler has had a good campaign in Germany, could he replace Yedlin out wide?
Questions in the midfield… What formation will be utilized? Captain Michael Bradley will pull the strings, but will Kjlestan and/or Jones get the nod? One would assume Jurgen will rely on Christian Pulisic to bring the creativity for Jozy, both of whom have been playing superbly for their respective clubs. Alan Gordan replaces the injured Jordan Morris, who will surely be our late-game sub if a late goal is needed.
One thing is for damn sure, The American Outlaws will be there and we will be ready.
Bring your voices, bring your passion, bring your common sense.
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