Posted by Luke Cyphers and Doug McIntyre
Quite a lot of ink and a great deal of bandwidth has been spilled, if it's possible to spill bandwidth, about the "critical" or "crucial" or "vital" U.S.-Mexico match (Wednesday, 4 p.m. ET, on some channel other than ESPN, which means there's a good chance we won't watch, just out of principle). But is this game actually critical-crucial-vital to the U.S.?
Not from where we sit. Sure, a victory in Azteca Stadium would be historic, and would all but ensure a U.S. trip to South Africa next summer. But a glance at the standings of the CONCACAF Hexagonal rounds, past and present, shows the Yanks in a strong position regardless of how they fare Wednesday.
To find out why the game is so much more important for Mexico, who missed the first training session for the Americans and to get all the latest news and notes on how the U.S. roster has fared in club soccer, you must be an ESPN Insider. 
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