Possible 'Dos a Cero' Soured

On This Day in 2014, the Americans Raced Out to a Two-Goal Lead Before Settling a Friendly Draw

In their last match before World Cup preparation camps officially begin next month, the United States squandered a promising two-goal lead against rival Mexico. With just over two months remaining before the World Cup in Brazil, the result provided Jurgen Klinsmann both encouraging signs and clear warning signals about his team's readiness for soccer's biggest stage.

The Americans entered the April 2 friendly with significant questions surrounding their World Cup roster. Just days earlier, Klinsmann had made a surprising coaching staff change, dismissing longtime assistant Martin Vasquez, signaling that no one's position was safe.

"Anything can happen in the next couple of months," Klinsmann had warned before the match. "We observe them now week in and week out, and we put the puzzle together [based on] what is best for us going into Brazil. So anything is possible in a short period of time."

For 45 minutes at the University of Phoenix Stadium, it appeared the Americans had all the answers. Behind Michael Bradley's masterful midfield performance, the U.S. dominated the first half and established the familiar "Dos a Cero" scoreline, which has become a rallying cry in this heated rivalry. Since 2000, seven of America's 12 victories over Mexico have come by that exact 2-0 margin, creating a psychological edge for U.S. supporters.

Bradley opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finding space at the far post on a Graham Zusi corner kick and easily slotting home from six yards out. The midfielder wasn't done, later heading on Tony Beltran's cross to Chris Wondolowski, who finished clinically to double the American lead before halftime.

The match also marked the rare appearance of the American attacking triumvirate of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Michael Bradley. Despite 339 combined national team caps, the trio has played together just four times during Klinsmann's 2½-year tenure.

But Mexico responded forcefully after the break. Rafael Marquez began the comeback by curling away from his defender on a Marco Fabian corner kick in the 49th minute. He found space between American center backs to head past the goalkeeper. Mexico completed the rally in the 68th minute when Alan Pulido pounced on a rebound after Paul Aguilar's shot hit the post. The teams settled for a 2-2 draw.

"I think we learned a lot today," Klinsmann said afterward. "We really had it under control for the first half, but I thought it took [the players] too long to get back into the game. They have to understand a game goes 90 minutes, and we haven't gotten to those 90 minutes."

The match also provided a glimpse at the potential future of U.S. Soccer, as 18-year-old Julian Green made his senior team debut. The German-American Bayern Munich prospect, who just completed his one-time switch to represent the United States last week, showed flashes of potential in limited minutes.

"You saw in some moments what this kid is capable of doing," Klinsmann said of Green. "You understand within 10 minutes if he's a good player or not. Julian is a very good player."

With just weeks remaining before Klinsmann must submit his final 23-man roster for Brazil, the team's mixed performance against Mexico highlighted its potential and vulnerabilities. Many MLS-based players used the match as their final audition, and a record number of domestic league players could make the World Cup squad.

"I think we have maybe 55, 60 [minutes] maximum on that level," Klinsmann noted about his team's endurance. "It's not enough. So that means we have a lot of homework to do."

The Americans will begin their pre-World Cup training camp next month, where they'll continue preparing for a challenging group that includes Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. With undeniable talent but lingering questions about consistency and defensive stability, the road to Brazil remains a work in progress for this team.