COLUMBUS -- Michael Bradley, the son of national team manager Bob Bradley, scored a goal late in the first half and then added a second deep in stoppage time as the United States held off a short-handed Mexican squad for yet another 2-0 victory to continue its dominance in Crew Stadium, opening the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup before a roaring sellout crowd.
The USA has won all three World Cup qualifiers in Columbus vs. Mexico by a 2-0 count.
Bradley knocked home a rebound from a corner kick to the put the USA ahead two minutes before halftime, then with 10-man Mexico pressing at the end, Bradley unleashed a long strike that goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez misplayed to cap another U.S. whitewash.
Veteran Mexican defender Rafael Marquez, who plays for FC Barcelona in Spain, was sent off in the second half after a dangerous challenge on U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard after he came out to claim a cross.
Overall, the Yanks are 4-0-2 in qualifiers and a 5-0-3 overall mark in Crew Stadium. The U.S. has scored 12 goals while yielding only one. In another streak, the U.S. is 9-0-2 on home soil vs. Mexico since 2000, with an 19-3 scoring advantage.
After being denied several times by Sanchez in a frenetic first half, the U.S. took a 1-0 lead into the break thanks in no small part to the hustle of a hometown hero.
Columbus Crew defender Frankie Hejduk outran Carlos Salcido to the end line to the right of Sanchez and forced the defender to knock the ball out of bounds after Hejduk attempted a cross before tumbling into the end boards.
On the ensuing right corner kick, Beasley sent the ball past the far post where Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) headed it to the middle of the box. Awaiting the cross was 6-foot-4 defender Oguchi Onyewu. His header was stopped by Sanchez by the ball came out of a pile right to Bradley for the quick put-back.
It was Bradley's fourth goal in 26 international appearances.
Just over a minute later Beasley had a long-range strike go wide right near the conclusion of the half that started with a bang.
If Mexico was intimidated it didn't show early when forward Giovani dos Santos found the bouncing ball on his left foot eight yards from goal in the third minute but Howard was there to make the stop, one of three in the first half.
The initial prime opportunity for the USA came in the 21st minute when Donovan stepped into a free kick at the top of the arc and sent a screamer two yards to the left of the post. Beasley had chances in the 27th and 31st minutes but Sanchez was able to get in front of the strikes each time.
He also had three saves in the first half as the U.S. effectively worked the flanks to free Beasley or Clint Dempsey.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute when Mexico saw the ball skitter from one end of the goalline to the other twice in front of Howard off a free kick. First Santos then Israel Martinez had chances before the ball was cleared.
However, the ball was served back in and when Howard went up to get it Marquez also went airborne but put his studs into the right leg of Howard and was shown a red card.
Yet, Mexico had two chances to tie the match off a corner in the 80th minute but Carlos Bocanegra was able to clear the ball off the goalline and Howard grabbed the subsequent cross.
The weather occupied as much of the pregame hype as the match itself.
Columbus in February can be unforgiving as the Mexicans found out on Feb. 28, 2001, in the "The Cold War." It was 29 degrees at kickoff and getting colder as the teams squared off in a qualifier.
Under those circumstances, the visitors didn't even bother coming out for warm-ups. It was little surprise they lost 2-0. A little more than four years later on a balmy September evening the USA prevailed 2-0 once again to reinforce the Mexican notion that Crew Stadium is the "House of Horrors."
When the date of this year's opening qualifier was announced, Columbus seemed like the perfect spot for another Columbus chill. Instead, two violent storms ripped through the area after a balmy, spring-like afternoon with a high of 63 degrees. The average high for Feb. 11 over the past decade was 33 with a trace of snow.
The first thunderstorm at 5:20 p.m. produced cyclonic water spouts on the field for about a minute and winds were in excess of 50 miles per hour.
The downpour moved on as quickly as it developed but at 6:45 p.m., 30 minutes prior to kickoff, another equally fierce combination of wind and rain drenched the fans and both teams as they warmed up.
By kickoff, the temperature was a breezy 52 degrees but the elements were not a factor.
Having the match in Columbus in a smaller stadium allows a pro-U.S. unlike any other stadium in the country. Still, the Mexican fans were able to come out in numbers and were in pockets around the stadium, especially in the portable bleachers behind the south goal.
Yet, they were no match for the record throng of 2,400 from Sam Army's and the Crew's famed Nordecke supporters section that swarmed the north end of the stands.
Mexico started Sanchez in goal with the backline consisting of Aaron Galindo, Salcido, Rafael Marquez and Ricardo Osorio. The midfield was led by Pavel Pardo with Alberto Medina and dos Santos and Leando Augusto out wide. Up top were Carlos Ochoa and Nery Castillo.
Castillo suffered a leg injury the 34th minute and was replaced by Martinez. Antonio Nelson subbed for Medina in the 60th minute and the final player off the bench was forward Omar Bravo for dos Santos in the 72nd.
There were no surprises to the first XI. Howard was in the nets and Heath Pearce (left) and Hejduk (right) supported center backs Carlos Bocanegra and Onyewu.
Beasley manned the left flank with Bradley and Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) in the middle while Dempsey moved from the right side to also working with forwards Donovan and Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo). Jozy Altidore took over for Ching in the 83rd and Ricardo Clark replaced Kljestan three minutes later.
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