Mexico–United States soccer rivalry

Location	North America (CONCACAF)
Teams	Mexico United States
First meeting	May 24, 1934 Stadio Nazionale Rome, Italy (MEX 2–4 USA)
Latest meeting	June 11, 2017 Estadio Azteca Mexico City, Mexico (MEX 1–1 USA)
Statistics
Meetings total	68
Most wins	Mexico (35)
All-time series	35-19–14 (W–L–D) (Mexico)
Largest victory	September 4, 1949 (MEX 6–0 USA)

A sports rivalry exists between the national soccer teams of Mexico and the United States, widely considered the two major powers of CONCACAF. The first match was played in 1934, and the teams have met 68 times, with Mexico leading the overall series 35–19–14 (W–L–D), outscoring the U.S. 139–79.

Matches between the two nations often attract much media attention, public interest and comment in both countries. The U.S.-Mexico matches are widely attended; several matches at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico have drawn over 100,000 fans, and several matches at the Rose Bowl in the United States have drawn over 90,000 fans.

The most important matchups take place in quadrennial FIFA World Cup qualification matches and major tournaments such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The rivalry plays out often in annual friendlies scheduled during the early months in U.S. cities with large Mexican American populations such as Los Angeles, Houston, and Phoenix.

History

Origin

The first match between the two sides was a qualifying match in Italy for the final ticket to the 1934 World Cup. Where soccer was seen as a foreign sport in the United States, in Mexico, like many Latin American nations, it was embraced from the start as part of their culture. The U.S. had established a professional league in 1921, but it had folded in 1933. The final score was United States 4–2 Mexico. Three years later, Mexico began a winning streak over the U.S. in friendlies 7–2, 7–3, and 5–1 in Mexico City.

Recent years

Prior to 2012, Mexico had never lost to the United States at home and now owns a 23–1–2 (W–L–T) record on their native soil. Mexico has won in the United States seven times, compiling a record of 7–13–9 (W–L–T). The overall Mexican record in the U.S., however, does not reflect the current competitive nature of the series. Since their 1999 win in the U.S. Cup, Mexico has been 4–8–4 on U.S. soil.

In the 21st century, the rivalry added a new chapter with the nickname Dos a Cero (2–0) to U.S. fans. Starting in 2001 during the qualifying cycle for the 2002 World Cup, the U.S. hosted Mexico in Columbus, Ohio at Columbus Crew Stadium, now known as Mapfre Stadium. The first meeting between Mexico and the United States ended in a 2–0 win for the U.S. Following the victory, the U.S. hosted Mexico at Crew Stadium again in 2005, 2009, and 2013 for World Cup Qualifiers (2006, 2010, and 2014 qualifying cycles). Each time these teams met in Columbus, the U.S. has come out with a 2–0 win. Following the September 10, 2013 game the U.S. clinched a World Cup berth following a Panama-Honduras 2–2 draw. Their meeting in the round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup also ended in a U.S. win by the same score. In addition, the U.S. has won three friendlies against Mexico by that score since 2000—in Los Angeles in 2000, the Phoenix area in 2007, and San Antonio in 2015.

On November 11th, 2016, Mexico was finally able to win a hexagonal world cup qualifier in Columbus after beating the U.S. 1-2 with a late Rafael Marquez header.

Results

Summary

On a macro level, Mexico leads the series 35–19, with almost the double of goals to the U.S. (139–79).

On neutral territory, the United States leads the series 3–2. In addition, the lone World Cup match between the two countries, a Round of 16 meeting at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea, resulted in a 2–0 victory for the United States.

Years	Matches	For Mexico	Draw	For USA	Goals
All Time	68	35	14	19	Mexico 139–79 United States
1930s–1940s	7	6	0	1	Mexico 38–12 United States
1950s–1960s	8	6	2	0	Mexico 30–8 United States
1970s–1980s	12	10	1	1	Mexico 27–7 United States
1990s	15	6	5	4	Mexico 15–18 United States
2000s	16	4	2	10	Mexico 13–23 United States
2010s	10	3	4	3	Mexico 13–14 United States

Main Championship Titles	Mexico	United States
FIFA Confederations Cup	1	0
CONCACAF Gold Cup	7	6
CONCACAF Cup	1	0
CONCACAF Championship*	3	0

*no longer played

Gold Cup finals

The United States and Mexico have met in five Gold Cup finals to date, with Mexico holding a four games to one lead over the United States.

CONCACAF Gold Cup finals

Tournament	Host	Winner	Final Score	Runner-up
1993	Mexico	Mexico	4–0	United States
1998	United States	Mexico	1–0	United States
2007	United States	United States	2–1	Mexico
2009	United States	Mexico	5–0	United States
2011	United States	Mexico	4–2	United States

List of matches

Date	Location	Competition	Result	Attendance
May 24, 1934	Stadio Nazionale, Rome, Italy	1934 FIFA World Cup Qualifier	4–2	10,000
September 12, 1937	Parque Asturias, Mexico City, D.F.	Friendly	7–2	21,000
September 19, 1937	Parque Necaxa, Mexico City, D.F.	Friendly	7–3	22,000
September 26, 1937	Parque España, Mexico City, D.F.	Friendly	5–1
July 13, 1947	Estadio Tropical, Havana, Cuba	1947 NAFC Championship	5–0
September 4, 1949	Estadio de los Deportes, Mexico City, D.F.	1949 NAFC Championship	6–0	60,000
September 18, 1949	Estadio de los Deportes, Mexico City, D.F.	1949 NAFC Championship	6–2	54,500
January 10, 1954	Estadio de los Deportes, Mexico City, D.F.	1954 FIFA World Cup qualifier	4–0	60,000
January 14, 1954	Estadio de los Deportes, Mexico City, D.F.	1954 FIFA World Cup qualifier	3–1	40,000
April 7, 1957	Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, D.F.	1958 FIFA World Cup qualifier	6–0	75,000
April 28, 1957	Veterans Memorial Stadium, Long Beach, California	1958 FIFA World Cup qualifier	7–2	12,500
November 6, 1960	Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California	1962 FIFA World Cup qualifier	3–3	8,000
November 13, 1960	Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, D.F.	1962 FIFA World Cup qualifier	3–0	80,000
March 7, 1965	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	1966 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–2	19,337
March 12, 1965	Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, D.F.	1966 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–0	64,285
September 3, 1972	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier	3–1	29,891
September 10, 1972	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–1	9,620
October 16, 1973	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	Friendly	2–0	14,000
September 5, 1974	Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León	Friendly	3–1	25,000
September 8, 1974	Cotton Bowl, Dallas	Friendly	1–0	22,164
August 24, 1975	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	Friendly	2–0
October 3, 1976	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	1978 FIFA World Cup qualifier	0–0	31,171
October 15, 1976	Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Puebla	1978 FIFA World Cup qualifier	3–0	35,000
September 27, 1977	Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León	Friendly	3–0	20,000
November 9, 1980	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	1982 FIFA World Cup qualifier	5–1	90,000
November 23, 1980	Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida	1982 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–1	2,126
October 17, 1984	Estadio Neza 86, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México	Friendly	2–1
May 10, 1990	Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada	1990 North American Nations Cup	1–0
March 12, 1991	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	1991 North American Nations Cup	2–2
July 5, 1991	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	1991 Gold Cup semifinal	2–0	41,103
July 25, 1993	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup final	4–0	120,000
October 13, 1993	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.	Friendly	1–1	23,927
June 4, 1994	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California	Friendly	1–0	91,123
June 18, 1995	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.	1995 U.S. Cup	4–0	38,615
July 17, 1995	Estadio Parque Artigas, Paysandú, Uruguay	1995 Copa América Quarterfinal	0–0 (4–1) PK	15,000
June 16, 1996	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California	1996 U.S. Cup	2–2	92,216
January 19, 1997	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California	1997 U.S. Cup	2–0	31,725
April 20, 1997	Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts	1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–2	57,877
November 2, 1997	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier	0–0	115,000
February 15, 1998	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup final	1–0	91,255
March 13, 1999	Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California	1999 U.S. Cup	2–1	50,234
August 1, 1999	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	1999 Confederations Cup semifinal	1–0 aet (0–0)	65,000
June 11, 2000	Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey	2000 U.S. Cup	3–0	45,008
October 25, 2000	Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California	Friendly	2–0	61,072
February 28, 2001	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–0	24,329
July 1, 2001	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier	1–0	110,000
April 3, 2002	Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver	Friendly	1–0	48,476
June 17, 2002	Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju, South Korea	2002 FIFA World Cup Round Of 16	2–0	36,380
May 8, 2003	Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas	Friendly	0–0	69,582
April 28, 2004	Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas	Friendly	1–0	45,048
March 27, 2005	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–1	110,000
September 3, 2005	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio	2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–0	24,685
February 7, 2007	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona	Friendly	2–0	62,462
June 24, 2007	Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final	2–1	60,000
February 6, 2008	Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas	Friendly	2–2	70,103
February 11, 2009	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–0	23,776
July 26, 2009	Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup final	5–0	79,156
August 12, 2009	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–1	110,000
June 25, 2011	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final	4–2	93,420
August 10, 2011	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia	Friendly	1–1	30,138
August 15, 2012	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	Friendly	1–0	56,000
March 26, 2013	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier	0–0	85,500
September 10, 2013	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio	2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–0	24,584
April 2, 2014	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona	Friendly	2–2	59,066
April 15, 2015	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas	Friendly	2–0	64,369
October 10, 2015	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California	2015 CONCACAF Cup	3–2	93,420
November 11, 2016	MAPFRE Stadium, Columbus, Ohio	2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier	2–1	24,650
June 11, 2017	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F.	2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier	1–1	71,537

Player eligibility

The United States and Mexico also compete to convince players who are eligible to play for both the United States and Mexico (e.g., a player who was born in the United States to Mexican parents) to play for their particular national team. To date, only two players, Martín Vásquez and Edgar Castillo have played for both nations. Castillo, who was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, debuted with the Mexican side in August 2007 for a match that was part of the 2008 CONCACAF Men Pre-Olympic Tournament. Castillo played his first game for the United States, a friendly against Denmark in 2009.

Incidents

Prior to an Olympic qualifying game in Guadalajara, Mexico, on February 10, 2004, Mexican media reported that U.S. player Landon Donovan urinated on the field during practice, which angered Mexican fans and media outlets. Subsequent video showed Donovan actually urinated near some bushes outside the practice areas. Two days later, on February 12, 2004, Mexico defeated the U.S. 4–0, and the crowd was heard chanting "Osama, Osama, Osama", in reference to Osama bin Laden and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In a friendly held in Glendale, Arizona on February 7, 2007, Landon Donovan scored in injury time to give the U.S. a 2–0 lead and win over Mexico. After the goal, Mexico goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez tried to trip U.S. player Eddie Johnson as Johnson was running to celebrate the goal. No contact was made, and no reprimand resulted.

On February 11, 2009, the first qualifier for the 2010 World Cup was held in Columbus Crew Stadium, and resulted in a 2–0 victory for the U.S. against Mexico. After the game, as both teams headed through the tunnels to the locker room, Mexican assistant coach Francisco "Paco" Javier Ramírez slapped Frankie Hejduk in the face. Hejduk did not retaliate, and Ramirez was not reprimanded.

Women's soccer

The rivalry is less hostile in women's soccer but still important. Most games have been played on U.S. soil. However, games have been played between both teams in Mexico as well; including one at Estadio Azteca in 1999 which ended 0–0. Another was played during the 2008 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship at Puebla, Mexico, where the U.S. U-20 defeated the Mexico U-20 3–0. The Mexican women's team has only defeated the U.S. once, at the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup semifinal, where they won 2–1. This win got the Mexican women to their second Women's World Cup. Mexico also defeated the U.S. at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, where Mexico won 3–2 after being down 2 goals, though this match is not considered official by both associations and FIFA due to the U.S. fielding their U20 team in that tournament as opposed to their senior team.

In popular culture

A 2012 documentary, Gringos at the Gate / Ahi Vienen Los Gringos, written and directed by Pablo Miralles, Roberto Donati, and Michael Whalen, focuses on the cultural differences between the United States and Mexico when it comes to soccer. This includes the conflict of Mexican-American players in the U.S. while their family might support Mexico.

See also

• Hexagonal (CONCACAF)

External links

• Archive of U.S. national team results 1885-1979
• Archive of U.S. national team results 1980-
• Gringos at the Gate Documentary film about the U.S. and Mexico soccer rivalry