Good performance tonight from the U.S. as two goals from Michael Bradley lead the U.S. to a 2-0 victory over Mexico in a World Cup qualifier. The win continued the U.S.’s domination in the series over the last nine years.
On a wet and windy night at Crew Stadium the U.S. ran their record to 9-0-2 on home soil against Mexico since 2000.
Beasley’s corner kick found Landon Donovan at the far side of the 6-yard box, with Donovan heading it back into the scrum. Oguchi Onyewu’s header was stopped by diving Mexico goaltender Oswaldo Sanchez, but the rebound came right into the path of Bradley, who kicked in the winner from 6 yards.
“It was a great corner from Beas, and Landon did a great job heading it back,” Bradley said. “It was not so hard for me to put it in.”
The game turned in the 65th minute when Mexico’s Dos Santos failed to score from two yards out and in the resulting play Mexican captain Rafa Márquez was sent off for a foul on Tim Howard. Marquez had went up for a high cross with Howard leading with his studs into the thigh of the U.S. keeper and the referee gave him a straight red card.
In injury time Bradley gets his second of the night when he took a pass from Donovan rand drilled a shot that the Mexican keeper Sanchez can’t handle.
The loss could mean more trouble for Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. His team, with just one win in its last seven outings, barely made it into the final round of qualifying. A former manager of England, he had been brought on to stop what many Tricolores fans consider an almost unforgivable sin: losing to the United States.
Overall this was a good win for the U.S., but Mexico will rue their missed chances. Dos Santos twice had great chances to score and the U.S.’s Tim Howard was outstanding in goal. But the U.S. took their chances and Mexico didn’t and that was the difference in the game.
