Mexico vs. USA: Biggest Takeaways from Historic US Win

Any time the United States and Mexico compete in soccer, there is more on the line than just a win or a loss. The national pride that accompanies the victor transcends the game itself, and vaults those who excel at key moments in the contest into national lure.

So when the Unites States' national team beat Mexico at Azteca Stadium for the first time in 75 years, ending an 0-23-1 winless streak, the whole country took notice.

Although this match was a mere international friendly with no significant title on the line, the game was hard-fought until the very end. In fact, Mexico outshot the American's 19-7 and held possession for 66 percent of the contest.

However, for one reason or another, they could not solve the American's "bend but don't break" defense.

Let's have a look at the three biggest takeaways from this matchup.

Tim Howard Is The Real, Real Deal

Tim Howard has been a fixture of American soccer ever since his World Cup debut in 2006. The star goalkeeper has been influential in helping Team USA  win several games they could have easily lost, this one included.

After Michael Orozco Fiscal's goal in the 80th minute of last night's contest, the Americans still had some significant work to do in order to hold off the skilled, talented Mexican offense. During the last portion of the game, Howard made not one, but two, incredible saves that could have, and should have changed the course of the game.

Although the first save was impressive, his second save in the final segment of the game was down-right spectacular. Not only did Howard save a header from almost point-blank range, but he then cleared the ball away from the goal before Mexico could capitalize on the rebound.

For these two plays alone, Howard could easily be considered the MVP of last night's contest.

US Substitutes Come To The Rescue

Although it's not shocking that a team finally put the ball in the back of the net, nobody expected three inexperienced American substitutes to come through in the clutch. However, Brek Shea, Terrance Boyd and Michael Orozco Fiscal did just that.

The United States was having trouble generating offense for the vast majority of the early goings, and at times it looked as if this game was inevitably going to end in either a 0-0 draw or a Mexican victory. 

However, that all changed in the latter stages of the second half, when Michael Orozco Fiscal entered the game in the 77th minute for just his fifth ever international appearance.

As the ball made its way down the left flank with Brek Shea, Michael Orozco Fiscal got himself into great position in anticipation of a cross into the box. The cross came cleanly to Terrance Boyd, who promptly made an acrobatic backheel pass to Michael Orozco Fiscal. Fiscal used his left foot and as he nudged it past goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. 

US Dominates Scoreboard, But Mexico Dominates Field

The United States won this game fair and square. They scored a timely, well executed goal to take a 1-0 lead that held up for the duration of the contest. However, they did not look like the better team for the majority of the night.

The stats in this game do not lie. Mexico outshot the US 19-7, while retaining possession for two-thirds of the game. Furthermore, they generated enough offense to get themselves several good looks at the net, they just could not seem to convert when they needed it.

Fortunately for the Americans, they came out on top. However, this game could have easily gone the other way. While this win is surely a historic moment in US soccer history, Mexico will be extremely tough to beat the next time around.