Make no mistake the American women came to Vancouver with one thing in mind – beat Mexico and beat them bad.
The rest is just details. Qualifying for the Olympics? Meh. That’s expected. Winning the Olympics is the USA’s goal, not getting there.
Beating Canada? Ha! Canada is so far from their radar that it’s silly to even suggest that the Canucks play any motivating role for the US at all. They (kind of) respect Canada (a bit) and many of the women are friends with the Canadians, but that’s about it.
The rivalry is Mexico. It is in the men’s game and it is with the women too. It doesn’t matter that the Americans have beaten Mexico in 96.1 per cent of games played between the two countries. It’s that 3.9 per cent that drives the USA women.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
As most would know, the one loss came against Mexico last year in World Cup qualifying. It forced the Americans to take the back door to the World Cup by beating Italy in a playoff.
Although it worked out for them – a runner’s up medal in German attests to that – the loss embarrassed them. This is a team that does not like to lose ever. It has a stated goal of scoring eight goals per game in CONCACAF for God’s sake. They are more than a bit ruthless.
They might get eight tonight. They are pissed, motivated and damn good. Even those in the United States that were a bit uncomfortable with the size of the previous two wins in this competition are out for blood.
Mexico has improved a great deal and has some issues of its own with the Gringos. However, the perfect storm – U.S. in possibly its worst form in history, Mexico playing a perfect game and a rowdy, partisan crowd (that wasn’t being told by stadium security to tone it down...) behind them – is not in play.
In the bland and neutral environment of B.C. Place you can expect a clinical performance by the United States.
It’s what they came here to do after all.