Mexico trounced Paraguay in Oakland, now can U.S. do the same in Nashville?

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Knowing how obsessive he is when it comes to detail, U.S. Coach Bob Bradley probably had a scout or two watching Mexico’s match against Paraguay in Oakland on Saturday night.

That was when El Tri ran rings around the South Americans in the first half en route to a 3-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 48,110 at the Oakland Coliseum.

On Tuesday (5 p.m. Pacific, Fox Soccer Channel and TeleFutura), the U.S. will play Paraguay at LP Field in Nashville, hoping to improve upon its performance after a 1-1 tie with Argentina in New Jersey on Saturday evening.

The U.S. gained some credit for the way it battled back against the Argentines, but the fact remains that had Lionel Messi, Angel di Maria and company taken advantage of the numerous chances they created in a dominant and exhilarating first-half display, Argentina could have won the game by three or four goals.

So descriptions of the U.S. performance as ‘thrilling’ (U.S. Soccer) and ‘inspired’ (Major League Soccer) need to be taken with a sizable grain of salt. ‘Adequate’ would have been a better adjective, especially if preceded by ‘barely.’

Paraguay should not pose as many problems as Argentina, particularly in light of the way it caved in against Mexico, which got a couple of goals from Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and one from Andres Guardado. ‘What’s worrisome is that the Paraguay we had in the first half wasn’t the team I want,’ Gerardo Martino, Paraguay’s Argentine coach, told the San Jose Mercury News.

Apart from the crowd-pleasing antics of Manchester United’s Hernandez, Mexico enjoyed another milestone moment as veteran defender Rafael Marquez of the New York Red Bulls played in his 100th game for the national team.

Mexico Coach Jose Manuel ‘Chepo’ de la Torre’s team plays Venezuela on Tuesday night at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, with De la Torre hoping El Tri can improve on its showing in Oakland.

‘We’re just getting started,’ he said. ‘We can’t really say the level was something other than it was. We’re taking small steps.’

Mexico’s short-term goal in 2011 is the same as that of the U.S.: to reach and win the June 25 final of the Gold Cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and thus earn a spot in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil in 2013.

Right now, Mexico is a step ahead.

-- Grahame L. Jones