Mexico and the USA will play a friendly match at el Estadio Azteca on August 15, 2012. This date is a confirmed FIFA Friendly Match Day, meaning that the stars from both teams will be making an appearance.
What this means to the Mexican National Team:
This will be a fantastic training opportunity against a high quality opponent, perfect preparation for the upcoming CONCACAF Qualifying match days in September against Group B rival, Costa Rica. Mexico will have the opportunity to play with its main squad,
which should include all players playing in Europe, as well as the best from the Mexican league.
What this means to the US National Team:
A rare opportunity to have a friendly match at the Estadio Azteca; the US team will have a chance to deal with the hostile atmosphere of the Estadio Azetca outside of a CONCACAF qualifying match. Furthermore, it will help prepare the US team for the rest of the CONCACAF qualifying process, as there is certainly no other stadium in the CONCACAF region that is as hostile to visiting teams as the Estadio Azteca. Klinsmann had requested this game some months back, knowing that playing in Mexico City would provide invaluable practice: the crowd, the altitude, the rival. Should be a great preparation match en route to the September qualifying matches against Jamaica.
What this means to the fans:
You might be a USMNT fan or a Mexican National team fan (or a fan of both), either way, this is a great scenario no matter which team you root for. The Mexico vs US match is the biggest rivalry in CONCACAF (by far) and has provided the best games in recent years. The match is officially a friendly, but playing in front of 100,000+ fans at the Estadio Azteca, will mean that both teams will play at a high intensity level. I hope and expect to see a great match, even if it is just a ‘friendly’ game.
What do you guys think? Who will win, the US or Mexico? Is Mexico making a mistake by allowing the US to have a friendly at the Estadio Azteca?
