Today

I read at some point today that both Mexico and South Africa were lucky to escape with a tie, and that seems about right. They looked like a powerhouse for much of the first half, and could well have gone into the break up by a pair. But once the South Africans started cranking out 70-yard counterattacks, they looked extremely vulnerable. Every run had Mexican fans clutching their seat.

The decision to go with Guillermo Franco instead of Javier Hernández was hard to justify before the game, and is even harder still now. Franco did very little with the chances he had, including a couple of headers that were solid candidates to find the back of the net. I keep wracking my brain for the reason that he is considered worthy of a starting forward position, and I keep coming up empty.

Ditto for Óscar Pérez. The strike that got by was terrific, so it's hard to hang the tie on him, but he looked indecisive and small throughout. He's never played tremendously well with the Tri, and if I were making a list of the best Mexican goalies, he'd probably be at number six, after Memo Ochoa, Luis Michel, Jesús Corona, Oswaldo Sánchez, and Jonathan Orozco. Yet, somehow, he's the starting keeper.