USMNT's World Cup draw in Mexico a positive, but missed chances at Azteca could yet prove costly

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There are too many times when the United States men's national team walked out of the Azteca stadium on the wrong side of a score. Usually it was because the visitors had been subjected to death by 1,000 passes, no match for Mexico's methodical possession game, and taunted by the crowd. When the U.S. left Mexico City with a draw, it felt like it had survived rather than thrived.

GP	PTS	GD
1 - Canada	12	25	+13
2 - USA	12	22	+9
3 - Mexico	12	22	+6
4 - Costa Rica	12	19	+2
5 - Panama	12	18	+1
6 - El Salvador	12	10	-7
7 - Jamaica	12	8	-7
8 - Honduras	12	4	-17
1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff

The U.S. team drew with a different place on Thursday. The visitors had better chances at the Azteca in the first half. Mexico rode the hot hands of a goalkeeper to survive. Mexico's xG of 0.55 was its lowest in its World Cup qualification matches.

The U.S. took an anywhere- will-do approach to passing over the last 15 minutes. Berhalter put on every defender he had, and two of them earned their first World Cup appearances. It was enough for the U.S. to get a point on the road.

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It is difficult to know how to feel about the result in the World Cup qualification race. Four points seemed to be enough to get the U.S. to Qatar. The result sets Berhalter up well to achieve that goal. The good vibes at the final whistle were added to by the absence of a quartet of important players.

There was a sense of achievement but also a sense of disappointment. Panama received a gift in the form of a draw with bottom-of-the-table Honduras in a World Cup qualification match. A win by the U.S. over the Canaleros in Florida on Sunday will allow the U.S. to reach its four-point goal and stop worrying about Panama edging it out of a World Cup spot as it did four years ago.

Costa Rica is here. The U.S. didn't get any help from Canada. Costa Rica is close to the US and Mexico. There is a chance that the final day fixture in San Jose could still mean something. They would have been at a disadvantage if they had won on Thursday. Berhalter called Thursday's result a positive disappointment, but for the players it was more about the former than the latter.

The group is jazzed and excited to play Mexico at the Azteca. The mood is not down even though we fell a little short. It is the opposite.

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Should the USMNT be disappointed with the goalless draw at Mexico?

The two points that were left on the table will drift into the collective thoughts of the U.S. team. The 13th-minute drive forced a diving save. There was no disgrace there. In the 35th minute, Christian Pulisic had a great chance to score, but he hit his shot right at Ochoa.

An even more glorious opportunity beckoned in the second half, with Gio Reyna appearing to tee up fellow substitute Jordan Pefok for a wide-open opportunity, only for the Young Boys strikers to make a better clearance than an attempt on goal, all from a mere 8 yards. Mexico had its chances too. The U.S. will be happy that El Tri missed the target or hit the ball straight at the keeper.

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The opportunity in front of the U.S. is similar to what it faced four years ago. The fate of the U.S. team is in its own hands. The U.S. team can get a victory in the home match against Panama. It is almost there if you take care of business in Florida. If other results go the U.S. team's way, it could be a night of celebration. Hugo Perez is a former U.S. international who is now the head of El Salvadoran.

There are reasons to be concerned. The US has a scarcity of right-backs after Reggie Cannon and DeAndre Yedlin were suspended for a second caution. The depth issue in that position needs to be addressed in order for the team to be successful.

Tim Weah picked up a yellow card that will force him to sit out the Panama match, but this is countered by the return of Reyna. A mazy run in the second half showed off his ability as he made his first appearance in a World Cup qualification since last September. He should have gotten an assist for the way he set up Pefok.

Tyler Adams was available for the weekend because he made it through the game without being cautioned. Overall, a really good performance. We wanted to get him off around 60 minutes, but I think we went past that. He should be fine for the next game.

If Adams and his teammates can move after the energy they spent against Mexico, that is possible. The team will have plenty of time to recover. The ticket to the World Cup could be theirs if the players do, with no ambiguity as to how they will feel.