US Soccer Team Plays to Draw With Mexico

Wednesday night was Jurgen Klinsmann's first international friendly as coach of the United States Men's National Soccer Team and he made his presence felt all the way down to the uniforms. Before the game the names of the players were taken off the jerseys and numbers were reassigned, starters wore numbers 1-11 and reserves wore 12-18. It sent a message that playing for your country was all that mattered.

After Mexico scored first with an early goal by Oribe Peralta the United States scored late in the second half to tie. Robbie Rogers, who had just come on as a substitution, put the ball in the back of the net in the 73rd minute finishing a nice cross from Brek Shea.

The game was a tale of two halves, the first of which was dominated by Mexico. The USMNT failed to get a single shot on goal or corner in the first 45 minutes but bounced back in the second.

Though dubbed a friendly there was no shortage of tension between the two teams. The Mexican team has only beaten the United States twice on American soil since 2000 but both of those victories came in Gold Cup finals. Tensions came to a head in the first half during a brief skirmish between the players.