The Big Green

Filling in for Bruce today is Chrös; I did the honors when Brucio was gone at the MLS Cup last fall as well. Let's not try to kid anyone and pretend that you are here for my thoughts. I've compiled some basic reading about the big game today. Enjoy!

USA vs. Mexico
CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying
Estadio Azteca
Mexico City

Elevation: approx. 7,300 feet
Forecast: 76 degrees Fahrenheit, partly sunny at gametime
Courtesy of AccuWeather

TV:
Pregame:
ESPN 2:30 p.m. CST
Bob Ley and Alexi Lalas will be live from Azteca with John Harkes at the ESPN studios.

Game:
3:00 p.m. CST
mun2 (English language broadcast)*
Telemundo (Spanish language broadcast)
* The channel will be available for the day on most major cable providers, including Comcast, Time-Warner, DirecTV (203) and DISH Network (838).

Headlines:
• USA out to 'change history' in Mexico City — USA Today, by Chris Hawley in Mexico City
• American Men Look for Elusive Win at Azteca — Washington Post, by Steven Goff in Mexico City
• Mexico gives the U.S. altitude — Los Angeles Times, by Grahame L. Jones
• Soccer hornets nest awaits U.S. men's soccer team — Seattle Times, by José Miguel Romero
• Team USA hopes to defy history in crucial match vs. Mexico — Miami Herald, by Adam H. Beasley
• Going into Azteca Stadium, U.S. -- yes, the U.S. -- has upper hand — Daily Breeze, by Nick Green

News and Notes:
• This time, Mexico star Giovani dos Santos might actually be the next big thing, the New York Times reports.
• US Soccer president Sunil Gulati told reporters on Tuesday that U.S. coach Bob Bradley will coach the team through the World Cup, should the Americans qualify.
• Ives Galarcep translates some Mexican news reports and finds out that tickets are being scalped for as much as $384 and more than 2,000 police officers will be deployed around the stadium. More details at Soccer by Ives.
• The Soccer Insider Steven Goff adds more details, reporting that all 105,000 tickets have been sold and that scalped prices are about 10 times higher than face value.
• My former colleague Sarah Larimer, an AP sports reporter in Miami, reports hitting Carlos Bocanegra in the face with a tape recorder the other day. No one was hurt.

I apologize for such a short posting today. I had written up about half of a lengthy MLS roundup from the last couple days and lost it when my browser shut down. Oh well, just goes to show we can all be Brucio. He is super human.