Historic draw

I wrote before the three-game series versus Mexico that the games would probably be more useful for that squad than for the U.S. It certainly seems that the female El Tri team learned some important lessons - they managed a tie versus the U.S. for the first time in 22 matches.

Granted, the U.S. squad was greatly affected by defensive injuries, and the game was a meaningless friendly, but it doesn't bode well for the US team and their Olympic dreams that a non-World Cup team could play them even.

It's time to give Mexico credit, though, because this is a squad definitely putting in the difficult legwork to prepare themselves for the Olympics. They took their full squad to the Pan-American games (which I think the U.S. should have done - especially since it probably would have given them an early crack at Brazil - much better to take a loss there, perhaps, and learn how to avoid that in the World Cup, for example), they lined up a difficult series with the U.S., and they've managed a lead versus the U.S. in two out of three of those games. In the final one, the defense hung on for a result.

They didn't even have all their top players here - compared to the U.S. No MariGol, no teen phenom Verónica Charlyn Corral, no Iris Mora. Monica Ocampo may now be the team's top player, though. She's great on the ball, full of nifty moves.

Briana Scurry was in goal for this latest match, but a number of other U.S. players were out due to what seems like a sprained ankle epidemic.