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USMNT draws with Mexico (1:58)

The US could qualify for the World Cup with a win over Panama in the next match. (1:45)

1:22 AM ET

The United States national team picked up an important point at the Azteca, taking a significant step toward World Cup qualification, despite notching a historic win against Mexico.

When the day began, the United States was in a much better position to qualify than it is now.

It could have been better.

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- CONCACAF standings: Where do the U.S., Mexico stand?

- World Cup 2022 qualifying: How it works around the world

The U.S. had two good chances, but neither of them resulted in a win at the Azteca.

GPPTSGD
1 - Canada1225+13
2 - USA1222+9
3 - Mexico1222+6
4 - Costa Rica1219+2
5 - Panama1218+1
6 - El Salvador1210-7
7 - Jamaica128-7
8 - Honduras124-17
1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff

We put ourselves in a good position to win on Sunday and go to the World Cup.

I think it is a game that could have gone either way. I thought we had the better chances and had good spells, but the draw is fair.

After considering rotating the side with an eye toward the crucial game against Panama, the U.S. coach chose a first-choice lineup.

The most important thing was putting a team on the field that could win the game. There is plenty of time to recover.

Despite the lackluster draw at home, Mexico's manager was content with the result.

Martino said that they competed well with the United States.

The job was done, to an extent, but there were still questions about the team's defensive worries and Mexico's inefficiency up front.

We lost that calm in the last 25 meters. Not only during the times when we need to score a goal, but also when we need to make that pass.

A highlight-reel moment came in the 77th minute when Giovanni Reyna dribbled half the length of the field, starting about 10 yards from his own penalty area.

Diego Maradona scored his second goal in the 1986 World Cup against England on the same field.

Berhalter said that he had visions of that when Gio was dribbling.

When she was told of Berhalter's remark, she blushed.

He said it was a nice run.

The United States and Mexico are tied for second place, with the U.S. ahead on goal differential. Canada lost to Costa Rica and is three back of the other countries.

The win over the Canadians allowed the Ticos to jump into fourth place and move to within three points of the U.S. and Mexico.

If the United States wins against Panama, it will almost certainly get a spot in the World Cup. Costa Rica would be able to pass the United States if it wins against El Salvador, but the current goal differential would make it difficult.

All bets are off if the United States loses to Panama.

Reggie Cannon was unavailable for the game due to a positive test for COVID-19. It was already a position where the team was light on depth, and the issue was compounded when DeAndre Yedlin picked up a yellow card against Mexico.

Berhalter said that Shaq Moore will be added to the roster.

Weah won't be able to play against Panama because of his yellow card.

Cesar Hernandez is a reporter for the sports network.