How Mexico is handling the immense pressure to beat rival U.S.

PASADENA, Calif. – On Friday morning, a banner already adorned the stage built for the fan fest U.S. Soccer will be putting on outside the Rose Bowl before Saturday night's blockbuster playoff against Mexico.

DOS A CERO, ONCE AGAIN, it read.

A none too subtle reference to the score line – 2-0 – of the last four World Cup qualifiers against Mexico on American soil, not to mention the only time the North American neighbors faced off in the World Cup itself, back in 2002.

To the Americans, Saturday's contest, their 65th game against El Tri since 1934, is a must-win. Hype has swollen steadily. And the federation has heaped yet more pressure on its team by inflating expectations with a somewhat incendiary piece of cloth suspended outside the stadium.

For Mexico, however, a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup is just as much at stake as it is for the Americans. Deciding who gets to go to Russia two summers from now is the entire point of this game, dubbed the CONCACAF Cup. Yet for the intensity the USA is emitting, the Mexican camp is, from appearances at least, calm and casual.

[FC Yahoo: What's at stake in United States vs. Mexico at the Rose Bowl]

Leisurely sauntering onto the old stadium's immaculate grass field for their final practice on Friday, it all looked very routine to them. Never mind that some are billing this as one of the biggest games these archrivals have ever played.

The Mexicans played a little footvolley – volleyball with your feet on tiny nets – to warm up and stretched languidly before breaking into their drills. They were entirely unbothered by the jumble of cameras jamming up the end line, a good chunk of the 800 media members credentialed for this game – probably making it the best-covered stateside soccer event since the 1999 Women's World Cup final, incidentally played here in the same venue.

Interim Mexico manager Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti expressly said that there was no obligation for Mexico to win.

"I don't do anything because I have to, not even tie my shoes," he said during his press conference, when he was all jokes and smiles. "If we do things because we have to, they don't come out well. We don't do them with love."

Sitting beside him, captain and veteran defender Rafa Marquez echoed that point of view. "This thing about obligation [to win] or show who's the giant in CONCACAF and all of that, I think that we're going to leave all that aside," he said. "The team has a great deal of footballing potential and we're just going to show that tomorrow."

"We're going to try to take that pressure off of us of having the obligation," Marquez added. "We're simply going to enjoy the game with a great rival."

Star striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez said more or less the same thing, delving into jocular platitudes. "For me, it's like playing against any team in the world," he said. "For me, the special thing is to play for my national team."

This apparent state of zen is all fairly remarkable for the total turmoil the Mexican program is actually in. After a seven-game winless run early in the summer, including a fetid cameo as a guest team at the Copa America, head coach Miguel Herrera finally conjured the form that had produced a fine Mexican showing at the World Cup and used it to reclaim the Gold Cup in July.

But then he went and punched a reporter at an airport and was fired. That's when Ferretti became the fifth El Tri manager in just two years – part-time, while he retains his head coaching job at Tigres of the Mexican league.

His permanent successor, Juan Carlos Osorio, appears to have already been anointed. The Colombian, once the head coach of the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, will take over after Mexico's friendly against Panama on Tuesday. Marquez was asked about him on Friday. "Out of respect, I don't want to answer that question," he said.

It's all a very delicate situation, happening around a crucial game. Looked at in one way, this match is an elaborate goodbye party to the office temp brought in to fill the gap when a full-time employee was fired for assaulting someone in the workplace. Yet it doubles as a massive regional clash.

Ferretti, for his part, retains an airy disposition to the whole tense affair. "Regardless of what happens tomorrow, when I leave I'll be very thankful and very satisfied," he said. "I hope that tomorrow we can take things to an even better level and then everybody is happy. Otherwise, I'll just return to Tigres."

He has put no pressure on himself or his team. Mexico's expectation is to play good soccer and enjoy the game. And therein may lie the difference come Saturday.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.

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