U.S. players remembered a 4-0 thrashing in Mexico after winning by the same score in U.S. Cup ’95.
A sunlit Father’s Day in the nation’s capital became Retribution Day for many American players.
Nearly two years after being drubbed 4-0 at the 1993 Gold Cup final in the Azteca Stadium, the U.S. demolished its southern rival by the same score and in a like fashion: utter superiority.
Head coach Steve Sampson, as he had in the 3-2 win over Nigeria a week earlier, sent his team out with instructions to attack. He put Claudio Reyna up front and moved Thomas Dooley from the backline into midfield early in the match.
Four different U.S. players scored, and goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Dooley led a determined U.S. defense that survived a few skirmishes as it gradually ground down the Mexican offense. Never in the 42 previous meetings between these teams had the U.S. won by such a score. It has won only seven games against Mexico in 61 years.
“I do think there was some talk in the locker room, the guys that were there in Mexico City,” said Eric Wynalda, who counted himself among the six Americans to play that day. “They really wanted to put this one back in their face.
“[Mexico] rubbed it in down there. It was embarrassing to go down there and get beat, 4-0.”
Wynalda took the first U.S. shot, a bad-angle effort from the right, 42 seconds into the game. He broke through again a few minutes later, neatly nutmegging a defender with a short-hop, first touch that forced a corner — but the U.S. had already scored through Roy Wegerle by then, and kept attacking.
“The Mexicans are very good at putting a lot of pressure and numbers around the ball,” said Sampson, who has posted two impressive wins since taking over from Bora Milutinovic, who was among the spectators in a warm RFK Stadium.
“We talked about and trained on how to play out of that pressure, and to change the point of attack very quickly and get behind the defense with as much directness and speed as possible.”
Directness and speed: Not popular terms among U.S. national team coaches, and attributes thought to be far removed from most American international players.
This team, though, has thrived on such a system, and dazzled an ABC audience with relentless play at both ends of the field.
“Steve said to take the game to them, keep pressure on them,” said Wynalda. “We knew what to expect from Mexico, they haven’t changed anything in years. And I was pissed off that we were called the underdogs before this game.”
Reyna rips open Mexican defense
The Mexicans arrived just two days before the game and played as if they were still on the plane, despite fielding most of their World Cup starters.
Injuries to Claudio Suarez and Juan Ramirez Perales prompted head coach Miguel Mejia Baron to use backup Manuel Vidrio and untested Guillermo Hernandez, and both replacements labored.
Reyna evaded both of them to set up Wegerle to score in the third minute, and midway through the first half, he nodded a ball into space for Dooley to rip a shot past Jorge Campos.
In between those goals, Mexico swept forward promisingly. Several inviting balls fell to Zague, but Dooley cleared one of his shots off the line and Keller dived left to tip a low drive from Alberto Garcia Aspe past the post.
Dooley moved into midfield to deny Mexico’s central attacks, and Zague began dropping deeper and deeper into midfield to try and lure Alexi Lalas or Marcelo Balboa as well. Right back Mike Burns, who’d been burned by Zague a few times, kept close attention, and soon, the service to Luis Garcia and Carlos Hermosillo began to dry up.
“The communication between myself, Marcelo and Dooley was really important,” said Lalas. “Dooley pushed up into midfield, but he pulled back when we needed him.
“Burnsie had a really hard task, and he did really well. Even if Zague gets a header, we wanted to make sure it’s not uncontested.”
Defensively, the U.S. wanted to keep Zague from getting behind the U.S. defense, but Mexico knocked several balls over Burns’ head to Zague, often from the opposite wing. After Wegerle scored, Mexican midfielders Garcia Aspe and Ignacio Ambriz pitched camp in the U.S. half.
Said Sampson, “In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we saw that Mexico was putting too many numbers in the midfield, so we had to push Thomas Dooley into midfield. I think that made all the difference in the world.”
Dooley saved off the goal line with his left knee on a Zague shot that eluded goalie Kasey Keller, and four minutes later, roared into the Mexican penalty area to score. Dooley played a throw-in from Paul Caligiuri to the head of Reyna, and fought off Vidrio to rip the return pass past Campos.
“I didn’t expect Dooley to come through the middle, like an 18-year-old,” said Wynalda. “But it’s an attitude.”
Said Dooley, “I looked to Paul Caligiuri and he looked to me. I played the ball to Claudio Reyna, and he knows I go right into space.”
Ten minutes later, another flank attack into the area of Vidrio and Hernandez yielded the third goal. Jones, who had come on as a sub earlier than planned when Wegerle’s sore foot was stepped on again, drifted left to send a ball up the left wing for childhood buddy Wynalda, who’d moved up front from his right midfield slot.
He closed in to shoot low, and Campos could only get a leg to it. Harkes won a duel for the rebound and stuffed it in, the first time in his international career he’s scored in successive matches.
Mexico silent in second half
The Mexican players went into the locker room stunned, jeered by their own fans, and 3-0 down. For all intents and purposes, they didn’t come out for the second half, and surrendered a fourth when Harkes touched on a kick from Keller and Reyna beat Campos low with the sweetest shot of the match.
Attacking midfielder Ramon Ramirez tried to spark Mexico, but Wynalda’s persistent forays often kept him pinned back. Burns kept Zague quiet in the second half, and Baron used four substitutes in a vain attempt to salvage a goal — and some pride.
“I think we played extremely well,” said Sampson, who is resolutely painting U.S. Soccer into a most perplexing corner by winning games in exciting style. “But I do think Mexico can play much better than what they showed today. I was a little disappointed in their effort.”
Mejia Baron offered neither explanations or excuses. “We had many mistakes,” he said. “This was not a friendly game, this was an important game.”
Sampson himself pointed out that Mexico’s focus is on the upcoming Copa America. Mexico finished runner-up two years ago, an accomplishment somewhat clouded by being beaten 1-0 by the U.S. a year ago before losing in the World Cup round of 16 on penalties to Bulgaria.
And Sampson knows, too, that a victory or two in the Copa America could seal his selection as U.S. head coach for longer than his current three-month contract. Winning with goals and crowds and drooling TV audiences can do that.
“The players are responding to me right now,” said Sampson. “My own personal view is that it’s time for an American coach.”
Sampson, for whom diplomacy is no stranger, did hasten to had, “It doesn’t have to be Steve Sampson. There are many qualified American coaches.”
Sampson is reaping the benefits of having all of the top U.S. players available, and riding a crest of enthusiasm from several veterans who felt shackled by Milutinovic’s more patient style. Coaches all over the world are busily taking notes on how to neutralize this impatient U.S. team.
But to destroy a tough rival, watched by more than 38,000 fans and a national TV audience? What’s it like?
“It was a great occasion,” said Keller. “We played so tremendously well, put four goals away, on live TV on Father’s Day. What more could you ask for?”
Maybe revenge, which was also provided.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney