For USMNT, a Vital Point Gained but Opportunity Squandered as Azteca’s Mystique Wanes

By Brian Straus In terms of World Cup qualifying, a point earned in Mexico is satisfactory. But given the circumstances, the U.S. is left feeling like a draw there was a ‘positive disappointment.’ MEXICO CITY — If this really was the final World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Mexico at the famed and fearsome Estadio Azteca, then the arena that had been a confidence-draining American graveyard for so many decades went out with a forlorn whimper. The altitude remained the same: 7,200 feet. Just about everything else felt and sounded different than the mythic details from stories told by thos…

Read More