USMNT vs. Mexico: 5 key questions

The USMNT face Mexico in World Cup Qualifying on Sunday. Here are five key questions that could define the match.

The U.S. Men’s National Team took care of business on Thursday night, getting all three points at home against Trinidad and Tobago in a game they had to win. As they head into their game against Mexico on Sunday, the expectations, approach and dynamics will be very different. Here are five key questions to consider as the USMNT takes the field at the Azteca against Mexico:

Will Bruce Arena decide to park the bus?

With the win against T&T on Thursday, the U.S. are firmly back on track to qualify for Russia 2018. A point at the Azteca will further solidify their position in the top three in the Hex. To that end, a cautious, defensive approach makes sense, especially given the USMNT’s record in World Cup qualifiers at the Azteca (zero wins, 25 losses and a tie). It’s been quite some time since the U.S. employed a cautious approach, both in terms of tactcs — using two lines of defense behind the ball at all times — and formation — using two defensive midfielders to clog the middle. On Sunday night we may see Bruce Arena take a conservative approach by trying to deny space to his opponent and in the process try to frustrate the Mexican’s attack.

Will we see two defensive midfielders?

As we alluded to in the T&T game preview, Michael Bradley has been lacking the muscle and the “bite” befitting of a true defensive midfielder recently. That vulnerability may not be exposed in a home game against the last place team in the group, but facing a strong Mexican team at the Azteca bent on continuing their domination, chances are you won’t get away with a lack of steel.

Bradley would benefit from having a defensive midfield partner as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation. For one thing, it would allow Bradley greater flexibility in terms of participating in the buildup play when the U.S. have the ball, as opposed to staying put in front of the back line. If Arena decides to take the cautious approach, we may see either Kelyn Acosta or Geoff Cameron (who plays defensive midfield regularly for Stoke in the Premier League) line up next to Bradley.

Acosta was the first sub used by Arena against Trinidad and Tobago when he came on for Clint Dempsey in the 60th minute. Was this substitution a way to manage the aging Dempsey’s minutes with the short turnaround between games, or was Arena giving us a preview of the starting lineup against Mexico?

How will Christian Pulisic’s role change with the U.S. as underdogs?

If indeed Arena opts for the two defensive midfielders, Pulisic will be one of the other three midfielders in the 4-2-3-1. Given the comparable skill sets of the other potential starting midfielders (Fabian Johnson, Darlington Nagbe, Alejandro Bedoya), it’s likely we’ll see Pulisic play in a central attacking midfield role. Coming off a strong two-goal performance in a game the U.S. had to win, and in which he showed no signs of fatigue, there’s no better time to trust Pulisic. However, Pulisic has yet to play a competitive game for the U.S. in which the team have been true underdogs. He was able to show off his obvious attacking talent against Trinidad and Tobago, but in the Azteca he’ll be required to do much more out of possession, and possibly even drop into a midfield five if the U.S. are content to stifle Mexico and play on the break.

How will Pulisic react to the pressure of the Azteca?

As much as we can point to Pulisic’s experience playing in front of loud, partisan crowds in the Bundesliga and Champions League, an away game at the Azteca is on another level. The golden boy of U.S. Soccer is only 18 years old and he’s already having enormous and (arguably) unfair expectations placed on him. This is the first time he’ll be dealing with a nasty CONCACAF away environment. All these factors add up to a tremendous challenge for Pulisic; his reaction will be one of the more interesting subplots of this game.

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How will Mexico cope without missing stars?

With Mexico missing four of their regulars (Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado, Miguel Layun and Salcedo) the task of breaking down the U.S. defense will fall squarely on Chicharito Hernandez and Raul Jimenez. If the center-back pair of John Brooks and Geoff Cameron (or Omar Gonzalez should Cameron play in midfield) shuts down Chicharito and Jimenez, the probability of the U.S. team coming back with at least a point increases exponentially. Absent the regular supporting cast  of Layun and Guardado in midfield, you have to like America’s odds of getting a positive result should they keep the Mexican forwards in check.