Michael Orozco of the United States celebrates after scoring a goal that will go down in U.S. history. Click on the image for more photos from the match and other games on a busy day of international soccer. (Photo by Miguel Tovar/Getty Images)
• Game story: United States 1, Mexico 0
• Photo gallery
A son of a former Virginia Tech football player, FC Dallas star Brek Shea gave up Friday Night Lights at Bryan High to devote himself to playing soccer with the Houston Texans Soccer Club, which is one of the most prestigious youth club teams in America. The Houston Texans Soccer Club also developed former U.S. national team and Dynamo star Stuart Holden and Dynamo midfielder Alex Dixon.
“I grew up playing club there in Houston, so they built me,” Shea, 22, told me in June. “Dallas kind of built me in a different way, an older way. I represent both.”
The 6-3 Shea would make the 90-minute drive each way from Bryan to train in Houston with the Texans three or four times a week from the time he was 11 until he was called into residency camp with the Under-17 U.S. national team in 2005.
Geoff Cameron was a no-name third-round pick, the last guy taken in the 2008 SuperDraft when the Dynamo picked him much later than Shea, who went second overall as a teenager to FC Dallas.
Together, these kids who were developed in Houston made history tonight with the U.S. national team as the first Americans to ever win at Azteca Stadium. Sure, both teams were missing key players, and no star from Mexico’s Olympic Gold medalists played. Whatever the case, the U.S. has made history, and they made it with Cameron and Shea playing crucial roles. Cameron played all 90 minutes and was awesome. Shea was a late sub, making the crucial play that led to the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over its biggest rival.
Former Houston Dynamo Geoff Cameron, right, played all 90 minutes and helped keep Mexico star Javier Hernandez off the scoresheet. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP)
“So proud of the guys making history,” said Brian Ching, the former U.S. national team star who played at Azteca against Mexico during his days with the national team. “That’s not an easy place to play. Hopefully this gives the team confidence that they can do it again in a qualifier.”
“This is a barrier-breaking moment,” said Texas A&M women’s soccer coach G. Guerrieri, whose Aggies are the top ranked team in the SEC this year. “We haven’t passed Mexico, but tonight was when the U.S. proved to ourselves that we really could beat anybody in a perceived impossible environment.”
Added Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear: “Friendly or not, this is a great result. I think it gives the U.S. confidence the next time they play in Mexico. I think it lets Mexico know America can win down south.”
Guerrieri knows Shea’s parents, both of whom are professors at A&M. “Brek is the pride of our soccer community,” Guerrieri.
As for Cameron, most soccer fans know how he evolved from a third-round pick to a player worthy of a contract with Stoke City of the English Premier League just a few weeks ago.
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsman promised last year that he would mine the rich Latino community for talent, and that paid off quite well. Michael Orozco, a Mexican American, scored the winning goal. Edgar Castillo played great defense, and Herculez Gomez and Jose Torres also played well. All those guys are Mexican Americans who have received more important minutes under Klinsmann.
With the diversity in America, there is no reason the U.S. men’s national team shouldn’t dominate the world in soccer eventually, especially if American football prospects decide to play soccer instead of football. That’s what Shea did at Bryan High, where the coach got so mad at his “future” quarterback” that he kicked him out of the field house.
Shea was committed. Cameron was committed. And equally important, Tim Howard of New Jersey is the best goalkeeper in CONCACAF, as he showed today with a Man of the Match performance.
Some will try to downplay the significance of this U.S. victory, but history is history, and it was made tonight at Azteca Stadium, and Houston can be proud two stars who developed here played crucial roles. Cameron showed today that he should be the starting center back for the U.S. from now on, and Shea showed his quality yet again.
