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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PASADENA, Calif.\u2014Paul Aguilar scored a goal for the ages to end a game for the ages.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Mexico defender, who had been a thorn in the U.S.'s left side all evening at a sold-out Rose Bowl, latched on to a high, speculative pass from Ra\u00FAl Jim\u00E9nez in the 118th minute and hit a thunderous volley past Brad Guzan and inside the left post. The strike lifted Mexico to a 3-2 extra time triumph in a gripping Confederations Cup playoff that will be remembered for as long as the Americans and &lt;em&gt;El Tri&lt;/em&gt; play the sport.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a berth in the 2017 tournament at stake, players on both teams gave their all on a sweltering Pasadena evening. Mexico took the lead twice and the U.S. recovered and equalized twice. When substitute forward Bobby Wood\u2014the hero of the friendly wins over the Netherlands and Germany\u2014scored in the 108th minute, it seemed as if penalty kicks would be needed to end an epic affair. But Aguilar\u2019s moment of brilliance highlighted the genuine difference in skill between the two sides and was a game-winner befitting the occasion.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;\u2022 USA vs. MEXICO: All of SI.com's CONCACAF Cup playoff coverage&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The result ended the Americans six-game unbeaten streak over Mexico. &lt;em&gt;El Tri&lt;/em&gt;\u2019s previous win over the U.S. also came at the Rose Bowl (the 4-2 triumph in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final) and it was just as gut-wrenching.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are three thoughts from a memorable evening in Southern California:\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. This was a dark day for American soccer&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It\u2019s up for debate whether Saturday was the worst day in U.S. soccer history. But the fact that there should be a conversation about it illustrates just how miserable it was.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The heartbreaking defeat at the Rose Bowl, combined with the Under-23 national team\u2019s 2-0 loss to Honduras in an Olympic qualifier in Sandy, Utah, puts the program in position to miss two tournaments that U.S. Soccer believes are critical for the growth of the game. The Confederations Cup and the Olympics provide vital development and marketing opportunities. The U.S. will miss the former in Russia, losing out on an opportunity to face strong teams from outside CONCACAF in official competition while getting a sneak peak at the World Cup host. And unless the U-23s defeat Canada on Tuesday and then Colombia in a March playoff, the U.S. will miss the Olympics for a second straight time.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To face both defeats on the same day is a blow. Saturday now rivals May 31, 1985, when the U.S. lost to Costa Rica, 1-0, in a home World Cup qualifier it needed only to tie and was eliminated from the 1986 World Cup. The Americans had their best chance to qualify in more than 30 years because Mexico was the host, and that match occurred about a month after the original NASL shut down.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;None of this reflects well on U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who\u2019s in charge of the senior team and as technical director, has oversight of the entire men\u2019s program. But it also sets the U.S. back. American pros now won\u2019t get official games against top teams until the 2018 World Cup, at the earliest.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Facing high stakes, U.S. searches for its comfort zone&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It\u2019s unknown whether the U.S. ever will be able to make Klinsmann\u2019s ambition for consistently proactive, possession soccer a reality, and there have been times over the past couple of years when it seemed the manager was more interested in chasing that ambition than putting his players in position to succeed on the day.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To Klinsmann\u2019s credit, he set those big-picture goals aside on Saturday and let his men play from as close to comfort zone as they could manage against a dangerous opponent. As a result, the playoff was much closer than many thought it might be. The American back four of DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron and Fabian Johnson played together during the World Cup and after Javier \u2018Chicharito\u2019 Hern\u00E1ndez\u2019s opener, the quartet frequently managed to force &lt;em&gt;El Tri&lt;/em&gt; into wider, less threatening areas with compactness and communication. Mexico always was going to create chances here and there thanks to its skill and advantage in possession, but this was still one of the more competent 90-minute showings by a U.S. back four this year. That, along with Mexico\u2019s off night in the penalty area, goalkeeper Brad Guzan\u2019s heroics and a couple of penalty kick appeals that went unanswered by referee Joel Aguilar, kept the game close.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley clogged the middle and quieted Gold Cup MVP Andr\u00E9s Guardado, who had been battling an ankle injury and departed in the second half. Although Bradley had to sit a bit deeper than a typical player at his position in a 4-4-2, his influence was significant and he was able to link with forward Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore on occasion. Altidore came close to scoring twice. He redirected a cross from Gyasi Zardes just over the crossbar in the 40th and forced a save from Mois\u00E9s Mu\u00F1oz with a 51st- minute thunderbolt. Bradley was the beneficiary of a fine Dempsey entry pass in the 32nd but rolled his shot just wide of right post.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mexico\u2019s narrow attack occasionally left the wide areas open to the U.S. counter, and it was there that the ageless Beasley earned the first-half free kick that led to Cameron\u2019s equalizer. It was the defender\u2019s second U.S. goal. More speed may have helped create additional American chances, but&amp;nbsp;Klinsmann was reluctant to mess with his team\u2019s shape until Mexico started to tire. Then, Yedlin was introduced.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A reliance on intangibles, resolute defending, counterattacks and set pieces\u2014this is the soccer Klinsmann wanted to steer the U.S. away from playing. He\u2019s been criticized for the fact that he\u2019s been unable to do so after four years in charge. But for a night, against a more technical and skillful opponent that dominated the ball, it was necessary. And it nearly paid off.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. The U.S. still can\u2019t match Mexico\u2019s skill&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As it was in the 2011 Gold Cup final and against Belgium in the World Cup\u2019s round-of-16, so it was on Saturday. All the effort, hustle and organization a team can muster can\u2019t match up to pure attacking skill.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mexico\u2019s front three of Chicharito, Jim\u00E9nez and Oribe Peralta is creative and dangerous. Even when they seemed stifled, they were a threat to change the game in an instant. Even though Guardado wasn\u2019t as influential, he\u2019s still a better playmaker than anyone the U.S. can field, while Aguilar and left back Miguel Lay\u00FAn were threatening on the overlap. This is a team that often is less than the sum of its parts, just as the U.S. can be more. But there\u2019s little doubt the skill is there and on Saturday, it made the difference. Mexico won the possession battle, 63.4%-36.6% and outshot the U.S. by a 23-14 margin. This is the sort of soccer Klinsmann hopes the U.S. will play one day.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mexico\u2019s opening goal was indicative. The Americans are still a ways away from pulling off a play like that in a game of this magnitude. Peralta\u2019s brilliant and timely dummy pulled Besler out of position, and he ran into the space behind Beasley to collect a pass from Jim\u00E9nez. Chicharito timed his run perfectly, shook free of Johnson and deposited Peralta\u2019s cross past a helpless Guzan. It was surgical, instantaneous and spectacular.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Klinsmann\u2019s U.S. wasn\u2019t there yet. Whether he\u2019s given the time to get there, or whether he\u2019s even capable, is unknown. But on Saturday, the distance he still has to take his team was clear. Mexico was the deserving winner.\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GALLERY: USA vs. Mexico through the years&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u200B\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/10/11/mexico-united-states-concacaf-cup-three-thoughts>