US-Mexico countdown: No. 12

12. International friendly; Glendale, Ariz.; Feb. 7, 2007: US 2, Mexico 0

After an unsuccessful performance in the 2006 World Cup for the United States, and another heartbreaking second-round ouster in Germany for Mexico, each side turned to a new coach in late 2006. The U.S. tabbed Bob Bradley as the interim boss and he debuted with a win in January 2007. Mexico, meanwhile, turned to the overwhelming favorite and beloved Hugo Sanchez, whom many felt would turn the tide for Mexico and eventually take El Tri to new heights. Bradley and Sanchez met in Glendale, Ariz., with vastly different teams: Sanchez had called on his biggest guns for the game while Bradley went with many young, mostly MLS-based players. Before xx,xxx mostly pro-Mexico fans, El Tri dominated possession early on but could not beat U.S. ‘keeper Tim Howard. Early in the second half, Jimmy Conrad scored off a corner kick to give the Americans a surprising 1-0 lead. Late in the match, in a play that both gave American supporters euphoria and rage, Landon Donovan scored on a breakaway to seal the match. After the goal, Mexico’s Oswaldo Sanchez slid into U.S. forward Eddie Johnson as the American ran by to join his teammates in celebration. The gesture drew the ire of American fans, who have since vilified Sanchez and have pegged him as Public Enemy No. 1. Mexico fans, meanwhile, were far more concerned about their coach who showed some chinks in his armor and were mostly left scratching their heads about the American team they were supposed to have wiped the floor with.

United States: Tim Howard; Jonathan Bornstein, Carlos Bocanegra, Chris Albright (Joshua Gros, 68), Jimmy Conrad; Clint Dempsey (Brian Carroll, 75), Ricardo Clark, Bobby Convey, Pablo Mastroeni; Landon Donovan, Chris Rolfe (Eddie Johnson, 64)

Mexico: Oswaldo Sánchez; Ricardo Osorio, Carlos Salcido, Rafael Márquez; Ramon Morales (Andres Guardado, 46), Gerardo Torrado (Omar Bravo, 62), Alberto Medina (Jose Francisco Fonseca, 46), Pável Pardo, Gonzalo Pineda; Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Adolfo Bautista, 46), Jared Borgetti

Goals

United States - Conrad 52
United States - Donovan 90+

Note: I had originally wanted to include video with all these games, or rather make this a video countdown and have limited commentary but that was asking for too much apparently. This is the first game on the countdown that has the goals online by themselves and not part of some compilation. So you'll be seeing more videos - at least six of the top 10 - the rest of the way.