Mexico – United States

This is a game steeped in historical rivalry. The USA have the better record of late but Mexico possess the pedigree.

Team USA leave out the redoubtable Jeff Agoos, who misses out with a calf injury. Frankie Hedjuk is missing too. Eddie Lewis and Crystal Palace's Gregg Berhalter come in.

Bruce Arena, no doubt spitting after the USA's horror show against the Poles, has made a tactical shift. DaMarcus Beasley is left out. Josh Wolff will partner Brian McBride.

This could be a real advert for North American soccer. The boys in green versus the Stars and Stripes of Bruce Arena's boys. Can Team USA claim a Brucey bonus and reach the last eight for the first time since 1930! You'll find out here.

Skipper Earnie Stewart will again be absent. That's tough on Earnie but Eddie Lewis will be giving his all, that's for sure.

The game's underway. Arellano is instantly hustled. But the ball finds its way back to Marquez.

Hit long. Morales was fouled. Landon Donovan the perpetrator. Blanco will hit....

It's whipped across a melee of bodies. Big Brad Friedel claims with some difficulty. But his hands were safe once more.

Rodriguez down the right after a Berhalter mistake. Arellano crosses and it's behind for a corner. The corner is wasted as the ball goes out straight from the kick.

USA adopt a defensive approach. 'Defence, defence' will be the fans' battle cry. That defence breaks down before Friedel, again, is forced to hack clear.

Mexico dominate possession. Torrado and Blanco link well. Borgetti threatened and is caught by John O'Brien. The Ajax man had his studs up but escapes a caution.

Blanco chips in. O'Brien clears. Pope is beaten by Blanco but unfairly says the ref.

A breakaway. Reyna down the right. He threads a ball into the middle. Donovan flicks back. McBride in space and he fires home. 1-0 to Team USA!

That was against the run of play, but shucks, Bruce Arena, masticating wildly on the bench won't care a fig.

Donovan gets back to stop Marquez. Torrado gets in there. Some great determination by Mastroeni.

Morales to throw. He gets it back and hits a cross attempt out.

Marquez at the back. Mexico still dominate possession. Berhalter sweeps up at the back.

Arellano and Berhalter clash. The American wins that battle. But Mexico retain possession.

USA's back-line is being supported by their midfield. They seem happy to sit and let Mexico play.

Arellano's ball is poor. Reyna intercepts but his long ball is poor too. It's a little scrappy.

Morales cuts in from the wing. He makes space and shoots just wide of the left-hand post. Freidel may have been beaten.

Blanco tries to create. But Donovan collects the ball and runs hard. He's fouled. Free-kick chance.

Reyna, the skipper, will hit......into the wall and out.

Mexico press the US in the corner. Reyna looks long but is tackled. Blanco's ball out wide is not good enough. Torrado now.

But the USA boys press hard. Little room for Mexican magic.

Reyna defends well in the corner. He lets Morales run by. USA defending well. But can they soak up this pressure for a whole 90 minutes?

Mexico again have the ball. Donovan gets it though. Now the USA choose to keep ball. Nine passes - that's their best so far.

Torrado is now stopped by Reyna. Mexico must start building a move again.

They fail after the ball goes out of play. Torrado tries agin. Blanco and Luna link.

Again the passing is done in midfield. Then Luna is found offside. Frustration for Mexico.

Again the ball is back with Mexico's defenders. This has not been much of a spectacle. But hey, a win's the things, right?

Reyna stops an attack again. But Blanco seizes on it and shoots. Friedel down to his right and the ball's cleared.

Pope is booked for knocking Blanco over. Let's hope the Pope isn't excommunicated later. The resultant free-kick is wasted as Torrado is greedy.

A subtitution already from Mexico. Luis Hernandez, he of the flowing blonde mane, replaces the ineffectual Morales.

Marquez panics and the ball can be launched by Eddie Lewis. Marquez gets it clear this time.

Mexico could break but Borgetti lingers in an offside position after Hernandez launches a cross.

Again Mexico dominate possession. Blanco is fouled by Berhalter.

Luna gets it. He is tackled by Reyna. Lewis breaks but Torrado breaks up that move. Borgetti again offside. Or was he?

Reyna can fire in. He chooses to go short. O'Brien looked for McBride but his snap header is back with Perez.

Berhlater hits a long free-kick. Wolff attacks but Arrelano gets away.

Mastroeni is alert to stop Blanco. Dogged defending by Team USA.

Pope gets back to stop Borgetti stealing in. Sanneh stops a Blanco cross.

Hernadez gets space. He turns but drags his cross straight at Mastroeni.

Mexican pressure is high.. Blanco seizes on a mistake. Friedel paws a ball at Blanco. His shot is well saved. Then Borgetti hits the side-netting.

Vidrio comes in to hurt Eddie Lewis. He's quite rightly booked.

Berhalter's cross. The ball is flicked on to Donovan. Wolff in the clear but he can only shoot at Perez. That was a real chance.

Corner is cleared but Hernandez's pass to Torrado is very poor.

O'Brien stops Arrelano. The Mexican is forced to concede a throw.

Herndez's cross hacked away. Torrado threatens. Arrelano is fouled.

Arrelano is stopped by Sanneh. But again the attack is poor.

Eddie Lewis down the left. His cross easily claimed by Perez.

USA hack clear as Blanco and Borgetti threaten. Then Blanco crosses only for Borgetti to be offside.

Bruce's boys need to hold on till half-time. A goal by Mexico would be a psychological blow.

Berhalter in hard on Hernandez. He wins a throw too. Go Greg!

Pressure from Mexico is met by pressure from the boys in stars in stripes. The massed defence giving everything not to concede.

Borgetti round the blind-side. Nobody there for his looped cross, though. Now Pope clears when Hernandez looked odds-on to score.

Great defence - the story of the now-completed half for Bruce Arena's warriors. They got the goal they wanted with McBride's great strike. Then they hustled, harried and chased and who could argue that they deserve their lead?

Team USA get the half underway. It goes out for a throw-in. They need to repeat the showwing of the first period. Mexico must step it up.

Blanco is fouled by Mastroeni. The American refused to give the ball back and is booked.

Blanco takes. Reyna gets his head to it. Arrelano back in. Freidel punches clear. McBride concedes a free-kick in a danger area.

Blaco hits it straight into a massed wall, which didn't look ten yards. There was some height in it too.

Now Team USA have free-kick. Marquez heads out.

Josh Wolff timewastes now. He's booked. Luna clears throw.

Long ball from Sanneh and Perez claims with ease. Torrado escapes an O'Brien tackle.

Hernadez seems to be fouled. He dived clearly. Greg Berhalter unlucky.

Luna smashes in a free-kick. Freidel flails but tips on to the bar. The corner is conceded again after some hacking in the area. Berhalter booked for holding.

Blanco's kick is allowed to bounce but it's cleared. Mastroeni is then shoved by Rodriguez.

Torrado prompts in midfield. Then Hernandez seemed to be clear on goal until Berhalter tackles.

There seemed to be a punch on Blanco by Berhalter. Greg needs to keep his cool. He's been yellowed already. That was stupid. But he got away with it.

More pressure on the USA now. But Wolff gets a chance. McBride swings at fresh air and Reyna can only direct his shot at Perez.

Torrado fouled? Yes, says the ref. Mercado gets a shot in. It goes wide.

Another in a series of niggling fouls. Hernandez shows determination down the corner. A cross is behind Blanco.

Stewart comes on for Josh Wolff, who's been a little overawed by the stepping up of Mexican pace.

Hernandez threatens. Friedel came across to punch away. Torrado shoots well wide.

Luna chips the ball through. Sanneh let Hernandez in but he can do little. O'Brien concedes a free-kick.

Luna drifts one over the wall and to the right. It misses the goal but was much closer.

Donovan is stopped by Marquez. The Mexican skipper does well. Hernandez is stopped by O'Brien.

Sanneh is fouled. Reyna will cross the ball in.

Perez claims but Donovan was offside. Reyna stops another Mexican attack.

Lewis down the left from a great ball. He crosses in and Donovan at the far post stoops to nod in. Torrado couldn't stop him. 2-0!

Bruce Arena celebrates with a calm assurance. Hernandez then indulges in amateur dramatics in the area. Simulation is the crime and a yellow card is the punishment.

McBride does well. Team USA are flying. Their work ethic continues. Sanneh's work results in an O'Brien shot. It's over. USA now the better side.

Mastroeni and Blanco get involved. The Mexican booked for a gesture of intent.

He takes a free-kick. Marquez heads over as the ball's pace makes it difficult to direct.

Then some comedic keeping from Perez who shows some poor control and concedes a corner. That comes to little after a foul in the box.

Corner conceded as Hernandez threatens. No, it's a goal-kick.

Blanco weaves. Mexico desperate for a foothold. Carmona shoots and Friedel punches away from danger.

Hernandez doesn't show enough legs to get down the channel and another chance goes begging.

McBride fouled. Stewart's free-kick is too close to Perez.

Arellano is neat is possession. But Blanco and Luna can't get the ball. Sanneh comes away with it. Stewart shoots wide.

Torrado fails to create much. Sanneh stops that move. Stewart fails to go through on goal. A lack of pace from the hero of 94.

Torrado slopes off to be replaced by Garcia Aspe. Last-ditch stuff from the Mexican bench.

Cobi Jones comes on for Brian McBride, the hero of the hour. He can run, can Cobi.

Mexico really suffering. They've been slow in attack, out-thought by Arena and hustled hard.

Jones down the right. His cross aims for Lewis, who fouls Arrelano.

Luna seemed to be fouled by Reyna's flailing boot. The Mexican is down hurt. He took a kick to his knee.

Garcia Aspe takes the free-kick. A Mexican is offside. Unforgivable. Then Friedel is booked for timewasting.

Good run by Donovan. Carmona chooses unfair means to stop him. Free-kick to Team USA.

Lewis will take. Mercado heads behind.

The corner is taken short and held by USA. They're happy to hold the ball.

Mexico can't wait for the whistle. They've been poor. Blanco reflects that with a poor cross. Friedel nestles the ball in his hands.

Jones caught by Marquez. The skipper lost his cool and get a straight red card. Foolish. He flew in with his foot and headbutted Jones. Jones' features will take more than that to be rearranged.

Blanco and Mastroeni clash. Jones comes away with the ball. He's double-teamed by two Mexican and then inexpicably given a foul. Unbelievable decision.

Luna finds space. Mastroeni clears. As he's done all day and would do all day. Mexico's crossing and shooting has been really poor.

Four minutes of added-on time. USA can enjoy them, Mexico know it's ocer.

Reyna on the break and with Cobi Jones making a run, of course, the ball was poor. A waste.

Now Jones gets a chance to run. He beats Mercado and crosses to Donovan. He fires over when he should have scored.

No matter, it's been a great day for Team USA. Perhaps now Dubya might seek to learn a little more about soccer. Though he's probably busy.

And there's the whistle. Records are made to be broken and Bruce Arena has achieved what no-one's been able to do since 1930 - the quarter-finals.

Brad Friedel, meanwhile, has kept the first Team USA shut-out since that win over England in Belo Horizonte, fifty-two years ago. He can thank a great defensive effort.

Clinical attacking, solid defence and great team-work. Germany, who await USA in the last eight, would appreciate those qualities in their next opponents. Mexico were poor, sure, but the USA rollercoaster had every right to roll on.

Bruce Arena, you're a national hero.