This is Arena's second stint as coach of the national team, which is 3-0-4 since he replaced Jurgen Klinsmann in November.
A long searching ball from Arriola did a number on the Mexican defense, as players were forced to move laterally on an increasingly slippery surface.
USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan eyes a shot by Marco Fabian (8) at Estadio Azteca as Tim Ream and DaMarcus Beasley defend. While DaMarcus Beasley and DeAndre Yedlin looked a little overmatched on the wings, adding Kellyn Acosta in the midfield worked about as well as possible. "It's just stressful", center back Omar Gonzalez told reporters Sunday night.
Bradley's goal aside, this was not one for the highlight reel but Arena measures his team's efforts through other factors and without question his players have stepped up ever since he stepped in.
"Here you know that if you catch a ball right, that with the thin air the ball's going to really fly", Bradley said.
Beating Beasley for pace, Vela cut in towards the top of the eighteen. Piñatas of the current President of the United States were beaten to a pulp by El Tri supporters, and reports had some American fans joining in (as proven in Columbus during the last round of qualifying, nothing brings certain parts of both countries together quite like a good Trump bashing). Instead, a swift movement and a whole new ballgame with momentum back with Juan Carlos Osorio's team and the heavy majority of 87,000 fans inside the stadium.
Bobby Wood - 5: Wood was on an island for most of the night. Arena had his team well disciplined defensively, the Americans maintaining their shape and displaying a strong commitment to organization for the remainder of the match.
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After their goal, Mexico dominated ball possession, and it had a couple of good chances to take the lead. He allowed a little too much space on the goal but had some crucial tackles in the second half.
Pulisic, who scored both goals in the win over Trinidad and Tobago, had a very different role against Mexico as he played out on the wing where he wasn't able to get the most of his talent.
A hostile crowd, smog and sometimes heat help create among soccer's bigger homefield advantages at Azteca, which has been reduced from 120,000 capacity to 87,000 during several renovations. Thousands fled for the exits before the final whistle had blown, a combination perhaps of frustration and a desire to stay dry. The Americans, both on the pitch and off, head to their southern neighbors' largest and most terrifying stadium not dissimilarly to warriors heading into some ancient conflict: heads down, in numbers, and with survival the only goal.
Not only did they earn a point in a place that has been a notoriously hard venue for visitors, but they remained unbeaten on the year, took another big step up the qualifying ladder and positioned themselves to win a spot in an eighth consecutive World Cup when the CONCACAF tournament resumes in September.
The result lifted the USA into a second-place tie on points with Costa Rica in the latest CONCACAF 2018 World Cup qualifying standings in the final round. "I like that", USA goalkeeper Tim Howard said. For the latest episode of SportsJOE Live we took over the Sugar Club in Dublin.
Starting off the final Hexagonal round of Concacaf qualification, Mexico beat the United States 2-1 in Columbus, Ohio, last November thanks to a late Marquez goal. If you come out with a result, hope is firmly restored.
Hector Herrera and Bradley both hit the woodwork in the second half as the points were shared on the road to Russian Federation 2018, with Mexico improving to 14 points, six clear of third-placed United States of America after six matches.
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