Columbus Crew vs PRI:The Columbus Crew looked very good, and are quietly having another great season. This was a must win and they came through easily breaking down the PRI bunker, something my TFC could not do.

DC United vs Marathon: DC went into a tough place and showed they could hang for 83 minutes or so. Unfortunately, to get results a team needs to hang for the 90 plus. DC is fun to watch, but is probably doomed because of MLS roster size, and a crazy schedule.

Pumas vs Comunicaciones: Pumas played mostly reserves, and handeled this game easily.

Houston vs Metapan: Did not see this game, but Houston did what they had to do, should be able to finish at least second in this group.

Cruz Azul vs Saprissa: I was shocked at how one sided this game was. Cruz dominated with a 2-0 victory.

Arabe Unido vs Pachuca: With the first true shock of the tournament, Pachuca got their asses handed to them. I would not count them out just yet, but perhaps the slip up a team like the Columbus Crew were looking for.

Overall, I would think the Mexican teams plus Saprissa would have to be the favorites to win it. Although, I would love for an MLS team to pull it off.

It’s been a long build up to the U.S. vs. Mexico part three of this year, but the day is finally here.

Everyone has an opinion on who will win, what the score will be, and how this match will be played. But in the end, we’ve only got a few more hours before all the talking stops and the players step on the field to fight out CONCACAF’s biggest rivalry.

With all of the talk and irrational thought that goes into a match like this people tend to overlook the basics of the game and argue with their hearts. But what will the U.S. really have to do to claim their first win in Azteca, and what does El Tri need to do to keep their dominance at home alive?

For the U.S.

Control The Pace- Mexico is going to have more possession. There is very little doubt about that. But how much more, and how much the U.S. has to chase the ball will tell the story of this match.

If the U.S. can hold spells of possession (especially in the second half) and keep Mexico from knocking the ball around the pitch all afternoon, they can slow the pace. Keeping the match at their tempo and pushing Mexico deep, even if it doesn’t lead to their best chances, would go a long way in helping the U.S. deal with the altitude and heat.

Simply put, the U.S. can’t defend the entire game. Will the Red White and Blue be the more defensive side? Absolutely. But they have to find as much of the ball as possible to keep Mexico from coming forward in waves.

Strike First- Once in 24 years. That’s how many time the U.S. has come from behind to win a World Cup Qualifying match. And since that one time happened in their last match against Honduras, the odds against it happening again today are very long.

Aside from that little stat, there is no better way to quite the Azteca crowd than to put El Tri behind. On top of that the Mexican squad is not hard to frustrate and chasing the game, even at Azteca, is not where they’re at their best.

Use The Counter- I know, I know. Everyone hates counterattacking tactics. Who cares. If it works, use it. While fans think the better team is the one that plays the prettier footy, a World Cup spot is on the line and it’s all about getting the W.

The truth is that the U.S. is going to have chances to spring on the counter. Two or three times in this match Mexico’s central defenders will be asked to deal with the pace of the American front line. Whether or not they can is the big question mark for El Tri.

For Mexico

Make It Count- Don’t just possess the ball, put it in the net. Just like my last comment, you can look pretty and walk out with nothing to show for it. Mexico has plenty of quality to put the ball in the net, but they have struggled at times in making their possession count.

Against the U.S. it’s vital that Mexico jump out to a lead. The U.S., as much as they would say otherwise, would be completely content to walk with a 0-0 draw. El Tri can’t afford that.

The longer Mexico goes without capitalizing on their chances the more frustrated they will get and the more frustrated the crowd will get. That frustration generally leads to pushing more numbers forward and opening up space in behind the defense.

An early goal, or at least a goal on one of their first good chances, would be a big boost for El Tri.

Ignore The Pressure- Mexico just smashed the U.S. in the Gold Cup final, but this game has much bigger implications. A loss here and the World Cup starts to drift away. More than that, Mexico has to win at home, and they’re playing a team that they know is dangerous.

Mexico has to ignore that reality, push the pressure aside and play with the free flowing style that they are known for. And they have to do this without their leader, Rafael Marquez to help settle the back line.

How well a younger Mexican squad can deal with this type of match and the pressures of playing for their World Cup lives could tip the balance one way or another.

With all that said, most of Mexico’s young stars have been in big games and fought some high pressure situations so they should be able to deal with this match pretty well.

Push The Pace- Mexico has to make this game as fast as they can make it. It won’t be easy. The heat and poor air means that this match is probably going to be somewhat slow. But the more Mexico can force the Americans to run the better off they’ll be as the match goes into the late stages.

Rather than slowing the ball down through midfield and trying to work calmly for the an opening, or feeling out the game, Mexico needs to break into the attacking third in the early going.

Forcing the U.S. midfield to track deep into their own defensive third early in the match could save Mexico the trouble of being broken on later. Plus, running the legs out of the U.S. defenders should open up more space for Mexico to work with.

Allen Ramsey is an associate editor of Goal.com.

If you take a close look at the teams position by position, its not close, Mexico has a lot of youth full of promise, but the Americans have players right now who are really good.

The key to this game will come down to who scores first. If its the US, its all over, if its the Mexicans, well that’s in my opinion the only way they can win.

By Luis Bueno

With the Mexican national team garnering attention for most of July, the start of the Apertura 2009 season was overshadowed somewhat by El Tri’s run to the Gold Cup final and their demolition of the U.S. But with El Tri silent for the first weekend since mid-June, the league can once again take center stage.

For now.

Come Aug. 12, the entire nation will once again have its eyes fixated on El Tri, and rightly so. Mexico will play a tremendously improtant match that day. That game will also affect league play as the domestic players called in for that game will gather with the national team and miss Jornada 3 games.

In the meantime, the league calendar features an attractive matchup in Sunday’s Pumas-Cruz Azul match. It does not, however, feature Atlante, whose match against San Luiswas moved to late August to accomodate Atlante’s Peace Cup performance.

Game of the Week

Pumas vs. Cruz Azul, Sunday 1 p.m. ET

The league is in for a treat as two of Mexico’s four most popular clubs meet early in the season. Pumas will host the encounter between two Mexico City sides. Since the Apertura 2004 season, however, this rivalry hasn’t been much of a rivalry. Cruz Azul has an 11-2-2 record in this series since the Apertura 2004 season in all competitions. Pumas, though, won the Clausura 2009 meeting but la Maquina beat Pumas in the CONCACAF Champions League. This match has a bit of extra significance to it. Both Pumas and Cruz Azul lost their first match of this season - Pumas 1-0 at Atlas and Cruz Azul 2-0 to Jaguares. A second consecutive loss to either side will no doubt bring out the critics, particularly if Cruz Azul falls to Pumas. Enrique Meza picked up his first win since joining the club on Thursday in Costa Rica as Cruz Azul beat Herediano in CONCACAF Champions League play, but a victory over Pumas would settle things down somewhat and silence the club’s critics before they start.

Prediction: Cruz Azul 2-1.

FRIDAY

Pachuca vs. Queretaro, 8 p.m. ET

Welcome back to the Primera Division, Queretaro! Your first task: face one of the best teams around. Los Gallos Blancos are likely happier to be facing Pachuca than, say Pumas Morelos or Lobos BUAP but winning the final Primera A title (before its name changed to the Liga de Ascenso) is considerably easier than challenging for a Primera Division title. Queretaro were one of two clubs who did not debut during the first week as their match against Atlante was moved to Aug. 26. For Pachuca, the match will be played early to give los Tuzos a chance to leisurely travel to Guatemala for their CONCACAF Champions League match. That series is no longer in doubt as los Tuzos destroyed a bad Jalapa side 3-0 midweek. Queretaro are better than Jalapa, but only by a goal.

Prediction: Pachuca 3-1.

SATURDAY

Jaguares vs. Toluca, 4 p.m. ET

Toluca are a shell of their former selves. Sure, the team returned most of the players who helped lead the team to the Liguilla a year ago, but the team suffered in their 4-3 win over Chivas a week ago. Ejected from that game were Zinha and Francisco Gamboa, as well as manager Jose Manuel “Chepo” De La Torre. Add to that the suspensions of Hernan Cristante and Hector Raul Mancilla that carried over from last season and Toluca are in a hole. Edgar Dueñas and Carlos Esquivel return from international duty, however. Jaguares, meanwhile, looked like a revamped squad in handing Cruz Azul a 2-0 loss. Adolfo “Bofo” Bautista was on top of his game, and if he continues to play like he did a week ago he will don the national team jersey once more and, perhaps more important to Jaguares fans, will lead his team to success this season.

Prediction: Jaguares 2-0.

Monterrey vs. Atlas, 4 p.m. ET

Ricardo Lavolpe returned to Monterrey last season and received a rude welcome from his former club. Atlas took a quick 2-0 lead but Monterrey eventually battled back and equalized the match, with Lavolpe target Jose Maria Basanta scoring the equalizer. Monterrey’s success last season was directly attributed to Lavolpe, even though he did not manage the team during the season. He built up a strong team and Victor Manuel Vucetich took advantage. Now, Lavolpe is putting forth an Atlas club he has molded. He made some bold moves, such as getting rid of Bruno Marioni and Jorge Achucarro, but Atlas did well to defeat Pumas in the opener. Atlas’ success should continue in Monterrey.

Prediction: Draw, 1-1.

Chivas vs. Tigres, 8 p.m. ET

Chivas’ result on Sunday was a clinic in what not to do. First, Chivas squandered an early lead and went down by two. But the club battled back and tied the match only to completely unravel. Up two men late in the game, Chivas gave away a silly free kick on a counterattack that would have yielded nothing. Then, the wall moved forward which cost Hector Reynoso a red card. Israel Lopez scored the game-winner deep in stoppage time as a result. While that was not meant to be, this match against Tigres needs to result in three points. The ever-present expectations of a championship are there, and a loss or even draw to Tigres here would place a boatload of early pressure on the club. In Tigres, Chivas will see the result of previous unrealistic expectations and itchy trigger fingers. Daniel Guzman was sacked by Chivas years ago but went on to win a league title with Santos. Now, he’s trying to rescue Tigres from relegation while building a competitive team in the process.

Prediction: Draw, 0-0.

SUNDAY

Puebla vs. Estudiantes Tecos 1 p.m. ET

Last season, each of these teams fell by the wayside in the Liguilla. While each team surprised in even reaching that far, the teams bowed out after tough matches against eventual-champion Pumas. For both teams, a return trip to the Liguilla would be welcomed and possibly even surprising. Both clubs lost key players in the offseason - Puebla said goodbye to Duilio Davino, Ramon Nuñez and Daniel Osorno while Estudiantes bid farewell to Jesus Corona. After this match, one team’s fortunes could improve while the other might wonder if the right moves were made in the offseason. Carlos Ruiz suffered nasal fractures and a dislocated finger a week ago but should be ready to play against Estudiantes. Perhaps “El Pescadito” can make his home debut a successful one.

Prediction: Puebla 2-0.

America vs. Morelia, 5 p.m. ET

Home sweet home was home wretched home for America a year ago. Estadio Azteca was not much of a fortress to America during the Clausura 2009 season as America won just once at home. This season, America need to show more at home, and it must be from the start of the season. Morelia are a formidable foe and a win over Morelia would send a message to the rest of the league that America are for real this season. Pavel Pardo has a full season since returning from Germany under his belt and America showed a lot during the World Football Challenge, so the preseason went as well as could have been expected. There seems to be no excuses for not winning more at home. However, Guillermo Ochoa has been ruled out. For Morelia, new Tricolor standout Miguel Sabah will now try and keep his hot streak going. He needs to do so, to prevent the club’s terrible misfortune in not being able to score much during last season.

Prediction: America 2-1.

Santos vs. Indios, 5 p.m. ET

Inconsistency has plagued Santos Laguna since the start of 2009. Favored to at least reach the playoffs, the Apertura 2009 semifinalists struggled to be competitive. Manager Daniel Guzman gave way to Sergio Bueno but the inconsistency continued. Semifinalists in the CONCACAF Champions League, Santos failed to reach the playoffs. The offseason cost Santos a valuable player as Christian Benitez was sent to Birmingham of the English Premiership. Carlos Ochoa was brought in but is trying to find his own form; adjusting to his new club is another challenge altogether. Indios seem like a good club to find your rhythm against. Indios are a solid enough club - they did reach the Clausura semifinals after all - but the team is not going to put a lot of off pressure on your defense. In Santos’ case, the forwards and midfielders might have a chance to adjust and get to know one another.

Prediction: Santos 1-0.

Luis Bueno is Goal.com’s Mexico editor.