MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Americans were clinging to a scoreless tie, seconds away from earning a rare point in Mexico, when Angel Reyna’s shot darted perilously close to the goal.
Brad Guzan lunged, smothering the ball with his body.
“It’s always going to be a bit hectic and a bit crazy, especially late in the game,” Guzan said. “You’re never going to come to a place like Azteca and go out and have it nice and easy. So we knew at some point, it was going to come, the pressure was going to come, and we were able to deal with it.”
Guzan swatted away shot after shot, young defenders Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler showed the poise of veterans and the Americans hung on for a 0-0 draw Tuesday night, earning only their second point in a World Cup qualifier at Azteca Stadium.
The tie moved the U.S. (1-1-1) into third place in World Cup qualifying for the North and Central American and Caribbean region after three of 10 matches, one point behind Panama (1-0-2). The Americans and Costa Rica both have four points, but the Ticos are ahead on goal difference.
After playing at Jamaica on June 7, the U.S. will be at home for four of its last six qualifiers.
“We wanted to win, but we are pleased with the result,” coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “They gave us everything they have.”
Klinsmann was criticized after the opening 1-0 loss at Honduras in February, with unidentified players and people close to the team questioning his tactics and leadership in a Sporting News report before last week’s home win over Costa Rica.
Mexico coach Manuel De la Torre is sure to come under fire after a third straight draw, which dropped El Tri (0-0-3) to second-to-last place in the standings. The top three teams in the group, which also includes Honduras, advance to next year’s World Cup in Brazil next year while the No. 4 nation meets New Zealand in a home-and-home playoff for another berth.
Mexico certainly had its chances with a whopping 17-1 advantage in shots and 15 corner kicks, three just in the last two minutes of stoppage time. But El Tri was plagued by poor finishing and dismal execution on set pieces.
“There are 21 points left. The leader has five; we have three. It*s tight,” De la Torre said. “It’s close, and of course we are not where we wanted to be. Our obligation is to win at home, and we have left points behind.”
Azteca is one of the world’s most imposing venues and, like just about everybody else, the Americans have a miserable track record there. They are 0-13-2 in World Cup qualifiers in Mexico, with their only other point — also from a 0-0 draw — coming in 1997.
But Klinsmann has never lost to Mexico, either as a player or a coach with Germany and the U.S., and he has bolstered the Americans’ confidence when it comes to their fierce rivals. The U.S. won at Azteca for the first time ever in an exhibition last summer, and the Americans talked repeatedly of making more history on this trip.
“Many people said it couldn’t be done,” said American forward Herculez Gomez.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
AP Photo/Christian Palma
