It simply was not meant to be tonight. After coming back from two deficits, once in extra time, another worldly strike from Paul Aguilar clinched the victory for Mexico as they advanced to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

El Tri started out the brighter of the two sides, using their pace to get in behind the United States' defense, creating opportunity after opportunity. The fast start paid off with only ten minutes off of the clock, Javier Hernandez opened the scoring. In a couple of swift passes, Mexico unhinged the American back four with Raul Jimenez laying off to Oribe Peralta before squaring it back to Hernandez as he mad no mistake finding the empty net. 

Less than five minutes later, there was a bit of life for the US. There was a free kick won on the far left side of the pitch and the captain, Michael Bradley stepped up, whipped in a dangerous cross towards the near post. Stoke City defender, Geoff Cameron, leaped up and redirected the ball with his head to level things at one all. 

A couple of minutes before the end of the first half, America nearly took the lead. Off of another dead ball situation, Bradley tried his luck at the near post but to no avail as Moises Munoz reacted excellently to keep the match squared. 

As the second half progressed and space started to open up around the pitch, there was a sense that the neighbors below were going to find a way through again. And they nearly did through Hernandez. The Bayer Leverkusen striker found himself in open space near the six-yard box and as a result, there was a ball driven across the middle of the box where all Chicharito had to do was get a foot onto it, but he whiffed and Jurgen Klinsmann's men caught a break. 

Unfortunately, they were not so lucky in extra time. Only six minutes had eclipsed off the clock when Oribe Peralta scored Mexico's second goal of the night. A ball played over the top was hit back towards the middle of the eighteen yard box, with Paul Aguilar making the extra effort to get there before Peralta's shot rifled into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. 

The substitutes, DeAndre Yedlin and Bobby Wood, combined for America's second leveler. Yedlin weighted his ball perfectly into the path of the Union Berlin striker and his effort went in between the legs of the Mexican goal keeper, three minutes into the second half of extra time. 

Then, as penalties were looming, Aguilar struck a sensational volley that clinched the CONCACAF Cup for his country. As the United States were trying to clear the ball away from the danger zone, a clearance was deflected up in the air and back towards the righ side of the box where the 29-year-old struck his effort cleanly and beyond Brad Guzan. 

Now these next few months are going to be very critical for the United States should they want to improve their standing at the next World Cup. Throughout the qualification process, which starts next month, new faces, as well as some of the younger guys who have already gotten a taste of what is to come, need to get more playing time. 

DaMarcus Beasley, Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, Clint Dempsey, along with a multitude of others, are not getting any younger and this will be the best time to bleed in these highly touted youngsters who are performing well for the under-20 and under-23 squads before Russia 2018 rolls around. 

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