Mexico vs. USA: The Hype

Here we are on the eve of what I would say is the second biggest event in the USA's four year soccer cycle. We hardly get excited about the Gold Cup or the Confederations Cup, and US Soccer isn't ready to take our entry into Copa America seriously, leaving the USA v. Mexico in world cup qualifiers as second to only the World Cup Finals on our soccer calendar. Tomorrow's version takes place in Columbus with the USA riding an 8 year undefeated home game streak against Mexico. Most of the pundits are reluctant to pick an upset here, but I worry that just such a result could be in the cards. Our full squad hasn't played together in a competitive game recently, and I'd argue we limped to the finish line of the last round of qualifying. MLS players are on a break while many european based players are just emerging from the busiest part of their schedule. It's not exactly a recipe for disaster, but it doesn't lend itself to success either.