USMNT tweets: ‘You’re welcome Mexico’
By Mike Dyce
Oct 15, 2013; Panama City, Panama; United States players from left Sacha Kljestan , Terrance Boyd , Graham Zusi and Brad Davis share a hug after Zusi scored the tying goal in extra time during the second half of their 3-2 win over Panama in a World Cup qualifier soccer game at Estadio Rommel Fernandez. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The U.S. Men’s National Team beat Panama in the final World Cup qualifying game. The win essentially ended Panama’s world cup hopes and breathed life into Mexico’s World Cup hopes. Mexico will now play New Zealand in a playoff for a World Cup berth.
“It shows you how brutal football can be for one side that is almost there. But we were here to give everything,” coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “Obviously, you feel Panama but we were focused on our job and our players gave everything they had, kept pushing and were rewarded.”
Some American players said it would hurt the CONCACAF if Mexico didn’t qualify for the World Cup, so they might have tried to help.
A Mexican announcer expressed his joy for the USA helping Mexico out.
As translated by a Deadspin reader:
"“GOOOOAAAAAAL The US of A PUTS us in the playoffs!!!!!” USA!“It is because of the USA that we are being placed in the playoff …BECAUSE OF THEM , NOT DUE TO YOU..NOT ANY OF YOU in the green shirts ….IT WAS THEM!!.NOT YOU!..THEY DID IT!!!!!NOT YOU! remember this forever….. KEEP THIS CLEARLY IN MIND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES! You do NOTHING for the shirt, you do NOT put the effort, you have NOTplaced us in the playoffs , you HAVE NOT placed us in the WORLD CUP ..YOU WOULD NOT HAVE KEPT US ALIVE….IT WAS ESTADOS UNIDOS, NOT YOU!"
The USMNT was just happy to help out.
Thanks for following tonight, #USMNT fans! We'll leave you with this: pic.twitter.com/gkICeI6h2M
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 16, 2013
Mexico superstar and Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez told Univision post-match afterwards that it was someone else though.
“If you want to see the playoff in the negative, that is one way to look at it but God has given us another chance and that is the way I see it,” Chicharito said, via ESPNFC.
#USMNT coach @J_Klinsmann: "It shows you how brutal football can be for one side that is almost there. But we were here to give everything…
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 16, 2013
…Obviously, you feel Panama but we were focused on our job and our players gave everything they had, kept pushing and were rewarded."
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 16, 2013