COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Finally touched down here for tomorrow's big game, and as you may have heard, the weather is anything but winterish. The high today is supposed to approach 60 and will be only slightly cooler Wednesday, plus an 80 percent chance of rain and possible thunderstorms in the forecast.
So much for La Guerria Fría -- how does Guerra Mojada sound?
How does this affect the game? Well, U.S. coach Bob Bradley says he was expecting a fast game due to the supposed cold temperatures. As SI.com's Greg Lalas pointed out upon my arrival (thanks for the airport-pickup service, dude), soggy and tepid does not make for a "fast" game. A wet field neutralizes the American speed players such as Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Frankie Hejduk, all of whom likely will start tomorrow vs. Mexico.
Let's close with some quick-hit fun facts U.S. Soccer just sent out to the media:
* This will be the 55th meeting between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 14-29-11 in the series, dating back 1934.
* Since 2000, the U.S. has dominated at home, with an 8-0-2 record vs. its archrivals, outscoring them 17-3.
* Of this current U.S. squad, Donovan has the most caps, with 105 international appearances. Yes, our most experienced player isn't even 27 years old.
* Donovan is just one goal short of tying Brian McBride's record of 10 in World Cup qualifying.
* In addition to Donovan, four other players have scored at least once against Mexico: Jozy Altidore, Beasley, Hejduk (twice) and Oguchi Onyewu.
* U.S. keeper Tim Howard is undefeated in four games vs. Mexico, with a 2-0-2 record.
* Brian Ching and Clint Dempsey finished with four goals each in 2008 -- all in World Cup qualifying -- tied for team best.
Check back this evening for my game preview.
100 Memorable Olympic Moments
The Phenomenal Bryce Harper
Comments (0) Add A Comment
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.