Neither the US / Costa Rica game nor the Mexico / Guatemala game were indicative of how these teams will look in Germany next year. In both cases, the coaches used those games to look at potential prospects, not at the likely starters. The US started 3 players against CR that also started against Mexico (Onyewu, Lewis and Beasley). Mexico started 3 players against Guatemala that also started against the US (Rodriguez, Torrado and Fonseca).
What this may mean is that Mexico has better depth in their talent pool. However, depth on the bench rarely translates to success in the World Cup. The starting 11 make the big difference, and for the most part, they are not playing this week.
Once again, I think the politics of the national organizations comes into play. The US coach knew that he could risk losing a game and his job is secure. The Mexican coach has been under a lot of pressure lately (especially after the US game), and really needs to win the last two qualifiers, or he may be watching the World Cup on TV. That has to affect the way the team is selected, and the way the team plays.
I'm not going to proclaim that the US will be doing anything spectacular at the next WC. But to put it in recent perspective, the US and Mexico split a pair of games this year using rosters that will likely be very close to the teams playing in Germany. And it's that level of competition and parity that makes it fun to watch.
