#1979e6
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Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:27:19 GMT
(The Guardian) Good evening to all of our readers in the Americas, and a good early morning to those watching out of curiosity in Europe. This is a big one. USA-Mexico games are always hot tickets no matter what’s at stake, but this time around, everything is at stake. That’s especially true for the USA, which beat Mexico twice this year to win the Concacaf Nations League and the Gold Cup but is still shaken by their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. A sputtering start in the new Octagonal (eight-team final round), with a 0-0 draw against El Salvador and a 1-1 home draw against Canada didn’t settle the nerves. A 4-1 win at Honduras calmed things a bit, but the October window had a 1-0 loss at Panama. As it stands now, the USA are second in the group. But a loss tonight will cause national hand-wringing and social media outrage.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:27:45 GMT
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:28:29 GMT
(The Guardian) The non-graphical version of the lineups ... USA: Zack Steffen (Manchester City) in goal. Back line of Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville), Miles Robinson (Atlanta) and DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray). Captain Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig) is in midfield with Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Yunus Musah (Valencia). The frontline has Brendan Aaronson (RB Salzburg) and Tim Weah (Lille) alongside the newest, brightest light for the USA, Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), who has three goals in his first four appearances. Mexico: Guillermo Ochoa (Club America) in goal. Back line of Jesus Gallardo (Monterrey), Johan Vasquez (Genoa), Cesar Dominguez (Cruz Azul) and Luis Rodriguez (UANL Tigres). Midfield: Edson Alvarez (Ajax), Hector Herrera (Atletico Madrid) and Luis Romo (Cruz Azul). Up front, it’s Jesus Corona (Porto), Raul Jimenez (Wolves) and Hirving Lozano (Napoli).
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
3
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939
Webster
20,257
May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
webster
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:29:12 GMT
(The Guardian) Standings so far The top three will make it to the World Cup. The fourth-place team has to go to a playoff. It’ll be a lot easier when these two countries and Canada co-host the 2026 World Cup, by which time the field will have expanded to so many teams that we will be hoping to bring in countries from as-yet-undiscovered planets to round out the numbers. Anyway, through six games out of 14: --14 Mexico --11 USA --10 Canada --8 Panama --6 Costa Rica --5 Jamaica --5 El Salvador --3 Honduras So the USA could fall to third tonight with a loss/draw and a Canadian win over Costa Rica, but Panama seems unlikely to move ahead due to a five-goal margin in goal difference. Actually, upon checking the scores, it’s even less likely -- Panama trails Honduras 1-0 at the half, a score that should make USA and Canada fans quite happy. For now.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:29:45 GMT
(The Guardian) 1 min: Antonee Robinson makes a promising run down the left before being tripped by an unseen force. It’s a lively crowd. U.S. Soccer has made a point in this century of scheduling this game farther away from the border to ensure a good ratio of USA-to-Mexico fans, and it seems to have worked.
5 min: The USA is managing a good bit of possession here, and Pepi gets the first half-chance on an alert cross from Weah.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:30:37 GMT
(The Guardian) 7 min: Most of the action has been in the Mexican half, but Gallardo surges down the left side of the field and wins a corner. The ball is knocked out, and the rebound goes roughly 33 feet (10 meters) over the goal. Mexican coach Tata Martino appears to be dressed for a polar expedition.
8 min: USA shot from 25 yards is perhaps a bit impetuous. Antonee Robinson drives up the left flank, dives and picks up a free kick. 9 min: That free kick is headed wide by somewhere between one and three people.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
3
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939
Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
webster
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:33:04 GMT
*looks around* Ste_Macca, outside of Europe, this is one of the big rivalries in international soccer; both Mexico and the U.S. have good teams (especially on the women's side of the ledger) and in recent years this rivalry has gone up a few notches....
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:33:41 GMT
(The Guardian) 11 min: SHOT for Mexico, and it requires a diving save from Steffen, who couldn’t be sure whether it was going wide. The sequence started with a bad pass in midfield. Zimmerman alertly stopped the counter, but Mexico kept possession as both teams raced into the fray.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:34:59 GMT
(The Guardian) 19 min: CHANCE FOR MEXICO on the counter, with Steffen diving to his left to stop a near-breakaway. That’s the second time Mexico has sprung an attacker into space with just one US defender keeping him company. Remember when the USA was the counterattacking team in this rivalry?
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
3
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939
Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
webster
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:37:42 GMT
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
3
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939
Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:40:55 GMT
(The Guardian) 25 min: Antonee Robinson has turned into a bit of a pest for the Mexican defense. His cross here is cleared, but Mexico has to devote a lot of resources to get out of danger.
29 min: Can’t shake the feeling here that the USA has the better of possession but Mexico still looks more likely to score. Corner to the USA, taken quickly and short and pointlessly.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
3
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1
939
Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
webster
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:44:08 GMT
(The Guardian) 30 min: CHANCE for Mexico. US attackers press and press, and it looks promising until Mexico pops it forward with a couple of clean passes. Lozano plays a long diagonal ball to Corona, who has a step on Robinson but can’t finish. I think the word I’m seeking for the US approach thus far is “naive.”
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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939
Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:48:51 GMT
(The Guardian) 33 min: Tim Weah has been an attacking spark, and he wins a corner with a quick move on the right. The USA retains possession until it doesn’t.
35 min: Yunus Musah slices through the Mexican defense several times, as if making the mark of Zorro, but he has no help. Fun players to watch, these young Americans. They just leave themselves more exposed than a hermit crab between shells.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
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939
Webster
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May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:51:20 GMT
(The Guardian) 38 min: Musah falls near the top of the arc. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fouled. Robinson follows with a terrific cross to Pepi in the middle of the box. He lays it off to Musah, who fires his shot over the bar.
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#1979e6
MatchDay Commentator
3
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1
939
Webster
20,257
May 20, 2018 17:24:36 GMT
May 2018
webster
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Post by Webster on Nov 13, 2021 2:51:38 GMT
....approaching first-half stoppage time in Columbus, Ohio....
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