Agreed. It definitely did look like fatigue was a huge factor. There are good reasons Mexico never loses at Azteca. Then again, maybe the U.S. let all the hype get into their heads a bit.
Some players really disappointed in this one. Bocanegra… I can't remember the last time I was impressed by his play. Ricardo Clark was nearly invisible. Ching looked woefully MLS out there. Altidore came in late and added zero spark.
Charlie Davies did look very good. I was rolling my eyes when I saw he was starting, but then he got the goal and played well in spurts throughout. Onyewu looked solid as usual. Donovan made a beautiful pass on the goal and then he did his best to cover ground and fill holes as needed, but with little positive effect. I liked Cherundolo's hustle. Feilhaber looked good to me and I was very glad to see him subbed in, but he didn't get many chances. I loved to see Feilhaber stick up for his teammate in that 2nd half scuffle. Holden again looked world class! (this kid is no joke--he needs to be starting for the WC, possibly in place of Dempsey). He nearly got the draw with a brilliant crossing ball late.
Overall, I was disappointed with the result, but I don't think it's cause for too much concern. We should see the U.S. looking dominant for the rest of qualifying.