or even a sports fan -- to appreciate such a scene after one of the more trying weeks in recent memory.
Overall, this match will be remembered as much for the clincher for Germany as it is for its timeliness. It won't be remembered fondly by anyone who saw Ricardo Lavolpe's shirt-and-tie/jeans combo just as it won't be remembered for its continuity and aesthetic appeal.
With four players in Arena's starting unit, as well as three second-half substitutes, from the MLS ranks, here is a more in-depth look at each of their performances:
Chris Armas, Chicago Fire -- 4
Had either John O'Brien or Pablo Mastroeni been available to start, the veteran midfielder likely would not have been given a start in the match. (O'Brien was not called in due to injury and Mastroeni was not deemed fit to start or play for an extended amount of minutes.) Unfortunately for Armas, he did nothing to make U.S. fans forget the aforementioned duo.
Some of his patented tackles were made and his positioning was fine, but he failed to really link up with fellow holding midfielder Claudio Reyna. He did look up and attempt to play balls in to the strikers, yet was not able to complete most of his attempts.
Jeff Cunningham, Colorado Rapids -- NA
Came on in stoppage time for Brian McBride, giving the local Crew fans a nice moment. He hardly had a chance to get a run in before the match came to a close. (Not a bad night for Cunnigham, considering his Rapids teammates pulled out a 1-0 victory over D.C. United without him buzzing around up top.)
Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy -- 5
He just wasn't his usual self against Mexico. It didn't help that he wasn't able to get balls played to him where he could turn and square up against his markers. But when he did find himself in such situations, he often took one too many touches and lost the ball.
Donovan's lone memorable play of the night came in the 57th minute -- right before the U.S. scored its second goal. After pouncing on a loose ball after a careless pass in the back, the Galaxy star raced at Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez. On what appeared to be a half-shot/half-cheeky play, Donovan played the ball to the keeper's left and ran around him to the right. While he was able to catch up to the ball before it went out of bounds, he was unable to do anything with it because of an impossible angle despite having an open net in view.
One of the main luxuries that Arena will now have after qualifying is the freedom to finally give a player like Donovan some rest. After appearing in all 15 qualifiers, it's about time the 23-year-old gets some much-needed time off.
Frankie Hejduk, Columbus Crew -- 7
Once Beasley was drilled near the sideline some 30 seconds into the match, you knew it'd be a game that the Columbus Crew defender would relish playing in. Never afraid to mix it up in physical matches, Hejduk did just that against Mexico. His hard-nosed play was effective, too, as both starting strikers -- Borguetti and Jose Francisco Fonseca - failed to have an impact on the match. He probably should have received a yellow card for his hard foul on Antonio Naelson in the first half or for persistent infringement, but he escaped without a caution.
In matches that Hejduk usually shines, it's because of his ability to get into the attack and serve in balls. However, that was not the case against Mexico. Instead, he stayed in his right back position for most of the match, making only an occasional run forward. Either way, it was one of Hejduk's better performances in a U.S. jersey since World Cup qualifying began 15 months ago.
Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids -- 6
Entered the match for Donovan in the 74th minute, putting the U.S. back into a 4-5-1 formation to protect the 2-0 lead. Was his usual tenacious self, winning some tackles in the center of the field and providing the midfield with a boost of energy. He was even able to get into the attack on two different occasions, which is a rarity for him when he's with the U.S. side.
Santino Quaranta, D.C. United -- 6
Saw action in his second straight World Cup qualifier. Since he entered the match late in the second half (81st minute) when the score was already 2-0, his job was not to make runs up the flank and serve balls in to the box as much as it was to help the team keep possession and defend when needed. The 20-year-old did just that, too. For someone with only four caps under his belt coming into the match, he looked very calm and only helped the cause.
On the heels of this match, Quaranta will likely get a start as an outside midfielder against Guatemala on Wednesday night.
Steve Ralston, New England Revolution -- 5
His rating would have been lower had he not accounted for the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute. A goal is a goal, no matter how it comes about, but Ralston's strike worked out about as smoothly as it could for the New England Revolution midfielder. A header by Onyewu rang off the left post just as Sanchez dove into the side netting of his goal. A fortuitous bounce caromed right to the center of the goal just where Ralston was standing just a few yards from the goal line. Without a defender breathing down his back or a goalkeeper to deal with in front of him, he simply nodded it home.
"It was probably the easiest goal I've ever scored in my life," said Ralston after the match. "If I'd have missed that, it would've been pretty bad."
In his fifth consecutive start in a World Cup qualifier for the U.S., the 31-year-old didn't have any success down the right flank. When he was able to get off a cross, it found a head or a foot of a Mexican defender rather than Brian McBride, Beasley or Donovan. He fought hard most of the night and tracked back defensively, but he just wasn't able to have much success. He'll probably sleep just fine, though, considering he was able to tally his fourth international goal and inch even closer to playing in his first World Cup.
Marc Connolly writes for ESPN.com and several other publications. This column runs each Wednesday on MLSnet.com and Marc can be reached at marc@oakwoodsoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
