Miguel Layun scores for Mexico vs Team USA (Video)

Mexico possesses a stranglehold over the United States in their first Hexagonal game as they finally broke a long-standing tradition in Columbus.

Mexico had a lot of motivation to win their first game of the Hexagonal against the United States. For one, America just elected a President who promised to build a wall between the two countries. And they were also playing in Columbus, where they’ve fallen victim to a number of defeats, mostly by a score of 2-0, or Dos a Cero.

Mexico wanted to get rid of Dos a Cero once and for all, which is why they’ve been dominating from the start. They had a great chance in the opening 10 minutes when they had a shot get redirected off of Tim Howard’s hands and off the post. But in the 21st minute, Miguel Layun scored El Tri’s first ever goal in Columbus:

"So much for #dosacero. Here is Miguel Layun’s goal #MEXvUSA https://t.co/XE7QBZvbWy— Rafael Diaz (@mexicanfutcom) November 12, 2016"

If not for Howard, the score could be a lot worse – it could be Dos a Cero for Mexico. But Howard has proven he’s still got it when he powered the Colorado Rapids to the Conference Finals in MLS playoff action, and is used to bailing out the national team. With the Conference Finals two weeks away, Rapids fans are praying that Howard doesn’t suffer an injury in this game.

Given Mexico’s history in Columbus, as well as USA’s Hexagonal dominance – they hadn’t conceded a goal on home soil since 2009 – many thought that all the pressure was on El Tri. But they’ve come flying out of the gate so far, and have hardly given the United States a chance to get their attack going.

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Even if they lose, this is only the first game of the Hex, and the United States have plenty of time to recover and make it to the World Cup. But the last thing they want is to lose to Mexico at home and face the daunting task of getting a positive result at the Azteca.