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. However, since the 1990s, tides began to change due to a rapid growth of soccer in the United States. During this decade, Mexico continued to hold an edge over their arch-rivals but since the 2000s the series has favored the U.S. 13-7-6 (W-L-D).
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.
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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.
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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.
*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.
List of matches
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.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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