Oh, Jamie. Don't ever change.

(1) Really? The US is constructed around beating their main obstacle to World Cup qualification? How effin' stupid of us.

(1a) And who exactly aren't we calling up in order to beat Mexico? Is there some dynamic playmaker or hard-nosed defender who is sitting at home tonight because we're more concerned about Mexico than Italy? We're deeper than we used to be, fine, but who would you call for Mexico that you wouldn't call for France or Kazakhstan?

(1b) Wait, so, we're supposed to play more like a Mexico that can't beat us? If tactics are a problem, wouldn't it have come up sometime between 2000 and tonight?

(2) This is more easily understood from the Mexico point of view, so hear me out. The US getting acceptable is the best thing that has ever happened to them. Mexican teams that were good enough to qualify for the World Cup in ye olden dayes were also good enough to go three and out in a way that would make Gansler and Sampson shake their heads with pity. Since the United States has become an acceptable rival - 1990 or so - Mexico has always made it to the second round. Hence, their seeding in the last World Cup. Hence, their ability to give decent appearances in Copa America.

(2a) Since Mexico will not tolerate losing to us forever, they will improve. Then, it will be our turn to improve. Ideally, this is a positive feedback loop.

(2b) One team might become overconfident given a decade or so of superiority, which catches up to them in international tournaments. Them's the breaks. It also makes money, which trips to Europe (and to Copa America) do not. Assuming Mexico stays terrible forever is a bad financial assumption as well as a bad strategic assumption.

(3) Can't really think of a team that does better on the road than at home, the New York Football Giants notwithstanding.

(3a) We also do worse financially on the road than at home. Let's don't lose sight of that, shall we not?

(3b) You think Glendale last year and Houston tonight are going to be pro-US crowds? The road experience, should such a thing be vital, is fairly easily replicated at home. England and Poland were more popular in Chicago, unless I badly misread the TV screen. It will take decades for Los Angeles to become a proper US National Team town.

(4) Yeah, it would have been nice to have a better road record in Europe leading up to 2006, but that horse has sailed. A good record in Europe won't matter again until when, 2018? 2022? And if we end up hosting before England, then why play any road games at all, really?

(5) You know who still cares about how we did last year in Copa America? That's right, nobody.

(5a) There's a Confederations Cup on the horizon anyway, which will be in South Africa against quality, non-Mexican opponents. So winning the Gold Cup instead of Copa America actually solved your complaints about our Copa America performance before we even got there.

(5b) And we weren't that bad against Argentina anyway.

(6) Beating Mexico in the US is a lot better than the alternative. If the US must learn from losing to Mexico, let it be our baseball team.