Hey, maybe it’s time to get excited about the U.S. men’s soccer national team again. After a somewhat disappointing first couple of games of World Cup qualifying, USMNT made history last night, beating Mexico in Mexico for the first time ever, 1–0 on an 80th-minute goal by Michael Orozco Fiscal.* The U.S. is now 1-23-1 against Mexico in Mexico’s lifetime. The U.S. team didn’t have all of its regular starters and often looked a little overmatched, but they hung in long enough for the deciding goal. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who had been criticized by some for pushing for the road friendly, kept the match in perspective — it wasn’t a World Cup qualifier, and the U.S. was hardly dominant — but couldn’t ignore the significance. “It’s important to us to understand that we can compete with big teams at their stadiums,” he said. World Cup qualifying continues September 7 and September 11 in a home-and-home series with Jamaica. That should be a far more confident U.S. team, after this.
* This post has been corrected.