Thank you for joining us tonight on VAVEL USA. I am Matthew Evans. We will see you again this weekend for live Major League Soccer action. Good night!
The United States Men's National Team returns to action on June 5th as they travel to the Amsterdam Arena to face off with the Netherlands.
The VAVEL USA Player of the Game is Jordan Morris who scored the game-winning goal for the United States. It was his first goal with the senior National Team.
It is DOS A CERO all over again! FULL TIME: United States 2, Mexico 0
90+4': FINAL WHISTLE
90+3': A late free kick coming for the United States.
90+2': Perry Kitchen draws a foul outside of the American penalty box.
90+2': Mexico just cannot break down the American defense. Brad Evans with the clearance on the ball into Cubo Torres
90+1': Three minutes of stoppage time
90': A dangerous ball into Torres, he falls down but is still able to get a low-powered shot that is picked up by Yarbrough.
88': Ibarra makes a darting run forward, he looks to cross for Agudelo but he cannot make solid contact.
87': Bradley floats a ball across the box but nothing to show of the Kitchen header.
85': Esquivel looks to cut across the middle but Brad Evans gets down with a great tackle to dispossess
83': Mexico Sub: Marco Bueno (In), Eduardo Herrera (Out)
82': Evans is staying at right back and pushing Yedlin to the right mid role.
81': United States Sub: Brad Evans (In), Mix Diskerud (Out)
80': Mexico Sub: Antonio Rios (In), Luis Montes (Out)
79': OFF THE LINE! Michael Bradley swings the ball in off the corner. It possibly takes a deflection but is cleared off the line.
78': A corner coming to the United States on the other end after an Ibarra cross is blocked out of bounds.
77': Mexico corner coming. Miguel Ibarra with some solid defending to concede the corner kick.
75': The United States is pressing high in the Mexico end. Mix Diskerud is playing a fantastic game defensively tonight.
74': DOS A CERO chants ringing around the Alamodome
73': MISS! Luis Montes finds some space in the middle and fires a shot just past the far post.
72': Agudelo with a great first touch, he cuts inside with two dribbles before firing a low shot past Saucedo. It is #DOSACERO!!!
72': GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! JUAN AGUDELO!!!!!!!
71': The match is starting to open up a little bit now.
70': Luis Montes lines up a shot but the ball is well past the near post. Word from the bench is that Kyle Beckerman has suffered a "thigh contusion".
67': Mexico Sub: George Corral (In), Gerardo Flores (Out)
67': Mexico is starting to pressure the American defenders and the penalty area. The United States standing strong.
65': United States Sub: Juan Agudelo (In), Jordan Morris (Out)
64': Saucedo catches the ball after it is headed back into the area from Omar Gonzalez
63': Yedlin draws a corner after using his speed to get around the defender.
63': Perry Kitchen is coming on for Beckerman
61': Kyle Beckerman will be coming off here at the next break in action.
Mexico Sub: Luis Rodriguez (In), Francisco Rodriguez (Out)
59': Velarde takes a bending shot that just hooks wide. Meanwhile, Beckerman is down on the field. A non-contact injury but he is walking off the field under his own power.
58': SAVE! Cubo Torres gets an open look but his shot takes a deflection right to Yarbrough.
56': Morris and Diskerud nearly combine to spring Mix but the ball is just missed.
54': Yarbrough comes off his line to punch the ball clear. A good read from the goalkeeper.
54': Mexico free kick coming from a dangerous position about 30 yards out.
52': Luis Montes is down back behind the play. It looks like it could be a head injury. He is now up and walking off the field.
50': Zardes looks to find Bradley on the give-and-go but the ball deflects into the path of Jordan Morris who goes five-hole on the goalkeeper and it is 1-0 United States
49': GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!! JORDAN MORRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
49': Bradley looks for Gonazlez at the backpost who heads the ball down but nothing comes of it.
48': Zardes is kicked in the chest by Francisco Rodriguez, a tight angle free kick from the right side.
47': Shea puts a nice cross in but the ball is just over Zardes. Mix throws a shot at the goal which is bobbled by Saucedo but cleared.
Mexico Subs: Julio Dominguez, Oswaldo Alanis (In), Carlos Salcedo, Hiram Mier (Out)
46': United States with the kickoff going from left-to-right on your keyboard.
United States Subs: Brek Shea, Miguel Ibarra, William Yarbrough (In), Greg Garza, Joe Corona, Nick Rimando (Out)
Halftime: United States 0, Mexico 0
45+1': There is the halftime whistle.
45': Cubo Torres and Omar Gonzalez get into a little spat behind the play. The referee pulls them both aside and tells them to knock it off.
44': Just as we say that, Diskerud draws a foul.
43': Beckerman with a great tackle to keep Cubo Torres from a shot in a dangerous location. The referee is really letting them play tonight.
42': Luis Montes takes a curling shot from just outside the 18-yard box. Rimando struggles with the bounce but is able to make the save.
40': MISS! Herrera misses his one-touch attempt just outside the near post. Half the crowd thought that was in. A corner coming to Mexico.
39': Omar Gonzalez with a great defensive header to clear as Cubo Torres made a run to the back post.
38': MISS! Jordan Morris beats his defender to the Corona cross but it is just out of reach. Out for a goal kick
37': Esquivel fires a shot from distance but cannot hit the target
35': United States with some sustained possession until Zardes puts too much on a backpass to Corona.
32': Yedlin makes a good play in one-on-one defensive coverage but loses the ball out for a corner.
31': Morris takes advantage of a poor pass from Mexico and makes a big run down the left wing. He tries to cut the ball back but loses his footing. What speed from the young Cardinal.
28': Gerardo Flores cuts the ball inside before firing a low shot wide of the near post. Zardes gets in behind the defense on the other end but cannot get contact on a header.
27': The corner is cleared out at the front post.
27': Corner coming to Mexico
26': Diskerud is brought down, a free kick coming from about 35 yards out. Bradley floats a ball to the backpost where the goalkeeper touches the ball out of play. Apparently a foul called on the play.
24': MISS! Carlos Esquivel fires a long drive that just misses over the crossbar. Goal kick to the United States.
23': Poor touches from the Americans now. Still not much happening in the attacking third for either side.
21': We are not seeing much offense right now. The ball is spendning a majority of its time in the midfield.
20': The American support is making themselves heard
17': Cubo Torres clears out both corner attempts
16': Corner coming to the United States as Carlos Salcedo beats Mix Diskerud to a ball played in by Michael Bradley.
15': WIDE! Beckerman takes a long distance shot that just misses the far post. The United States with a great buildup of the possession.
13': Diskerud floats a ball into the box but it is just beyond Morris and Zardes.
11': Both teams starting to settle in and see some possession with the bumpy turf.
9': Diskerud muscles his way to the ball on the end line. He puts a low shot across that deflected out towards Joe Corona but the ball is cleared.
8': MISS! Eduardo Herrera finds the ball at his feet from around 15 yards out but he slices the ball wide.
7': Yedlin puts a ball around a defender but he cannot reach it before Saucedo gets to it in the box.
6': Morris shows his acceleration down the left side but the defender knocks the ball out of bounds.
4': A nice two-touch game involving Diskerud, Bradley, and Zardes but the final ball is sent the wrong way. Rimando shows how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet on the other end.
3': Michael Bradley plays in a quick free kick to the box but it flies past the closet forward Gyasi Zardes.
2': Both teams trying to figure out the surface which just looks awful.
1': Joe Corona is called for an early foul at the center line.
1': Mexico kicks off and we are underway. Mexico is moving from left to right on your keyboard.
Mexico is wearing all white
The national anthems have finished and we are ready for kickoff in San Antonio. It is an electric atmosphere in the Alamodome.
The teams have emerged on to the field and we are ready for the national anthems.
The two teams are in the tunnel with the United States wearing their new blue uniforms
A very interesting lineup for the United States but it is very nice to see some of the younger players get a look from Jurgen Klinsmann. Jordan Morris from Stanford University is getting the start for the USMNT while youngster Ventura Alvarado gets the start at centerback.
There has been a lot made about the sod in San Antonio tonight. The Mexican team was concerned about it earlier in the week. Apparently things are alright now as the team is out on the field for warmups.
Our kickoff tonight will be at 9:00 pm ET,
We are counting down to kickoff at the Alamodome. How do you see this game finishing tonight?
And welcome in for our live coverage of United States vs Mexico from the Alamodome. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host tonight. A big thank you to my colleague Liam McMahon for writing the preview.
Here is a look at tonight's starting lineups
That already poor run of form looks even worse once it is juxtaposed next to Mexico, who have been superb over the last 8 months. Since the World Cup, El Tri ar 6-1-1 (W-L-D) and have beaten the Netherlands in Amsterdam. The entire country, players, supporters, pundits and media alike have bought into manager Miguel Herrera's 5-3-2 formation and the results have been flowing in. The one blip in that otherwise sparkling run of form was a bad loss at Belarus in November of 2014, when El Tri slumped to a 3-2 defeat on a frigid night in Minsk. While it can be explained away as an aberration, it did again expose the weakness of this Mexican team when they have to travel to cold climates. You can bet the US took notice of that and the Columbus Crew are prepared to host the next Hexagonal qualifying match between these two.
Since the World Cup, the US have been in a seriously rocky patch of form, going just 2-3-4 (W-D-L). However, the record doesn't truly show how they've played. Since world football's showpiece tournament, the Americans have played a gruelling schedule, facing off with teams such as the Czech Republic, Colombia, the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and Denmark. Additionally, US manager Jurgen Klinsmann has used second half substitutes quite liberally over these last few matches. The Americans have recently developed a penchant for starting matches off strong before conceding late goals after a mass of subs comes onto the pitch and everyone loses focus.
One thing which will be interesting to see this evening is how much of an impact form will have. In a normal match, most would expect the form team to run out as fairly comfortable winners. However, this is an international derby and form rarely matters in those. Still, it's worth considering what sort of form these two great rivals enter in.
However, that still leaves the question of "who is THE favorite?" unanswered. Between Mexico and the United States, that is usually a toss up. The US are reigning champions, but Mexico won the two Gold Cups before that and the US won the two before that. Given that recent pattern one can jokingly slot the Americans in as favorites, but we really can't know until the tournament starts. Yet, this evening's friendly may well provide us with a solid pre-tournament favorite.
The three favorites for this year's tournament are the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. As mentioned earlier, the Ticos made it to the quarterfinals at last summer's FIFA World Cup and are currently ranked 15th in the world, higher than any other North American team. Mexico are next in the rankings at 18 while the United States comes in at 27. However, the FIFA rankings are often misleading, and the Gold Cup is hosted on American soil. Due to that, most people expect that the Americans will at least make the final. Most experts are expecting that Mexico will be the other finalist. Not because Costa Rica aren't a very decent side, they are. However, they are nowhere near as strong once you leave Central America. When that is coupled with the fact that the US and Mexico will be playing essentially home games, that leaves them as the two obvious frontrunners.
In addition to the potential for a bid to the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup provides a chance to definitively state who is the top dog in CONCACAF. Because these teams play each other infrequently in friendlies, usually only twice in qualifying and because the Gold Cup is held every two years, it's the best barometer we have of gaging who are the Kings of CONCACAF.
Due to their triumph in 2013, the United States will at worst be in a two-legged playoff next fall to qualify for the Confederations Cup. However, should they retain their trophy the US would guarantee themselves a spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup curtain raiser.
While this friendly may not be hugely important, this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup is. In addition to this being a year when every country will send their best players to it, the US would directly qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup with a victory.
Tonight is not a hugely important match in the context of FIFA rankings or qualifying for a major tournament. However, it is a terrific tune-up opportunity for both sides to evaluate players and test out potential formations for this summer's Gold Cup.
This is, of course, the pre-eminent soccer rivalry in North America. Although Costa Rica did go farther than any other CONCACAF team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Mexico and the US are permanently jockeying for the spot of top dog on this continent.
Hello and welcome to VAVEL USA's LIVE coverage of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup warm-up friendly between the United States of America and Mexico. The match kicks off at 8:30 PM EST, so sit back, relax and enjoy as we take you through this evening's match.