Mexico–United States soccer rivalry

A sports rivalry exists between the national football 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 70 times, with Mexico leading the overall series 36–15–19 (W–D–L). However, the Americans lead the series 18–12–15 since the beginning of the 1980s.

LocaleNorth America (CONCACAF)
Teams Mexico
United States
First meeting24 May 1934
Stadio Nazionale
Rome, Italy
(MEX 2–4 USA)
Latest meeting6 September 2019
Friendly
MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey
United States
(USA 0–3 MEX)
Next meetingTBA
Statistics
Meetings total70
Most wins Mexico (36)
All-time series36–15–19 (W–D–L) (Mexico)[1]
Largest victory12 September 1937
(MEX 7–2 USA)

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 Chicago.

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 football 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 23–3–1 (W–D–L) record on their native soil. Mexico has won in the United States twelve times, compiling a record of 12–11–16 (W–D-L).

For most of the 20th century, the rivalry between the two nations was not significant due to the superiority of the Mexican team for the majority of that period. This began to change in the 1990s, when a new generation of United States players made the matches seriously competitive for the first time.[2]

Several significant matches in the early 21st century ended in a 2–0 scoreline in favor of the United States, which was nicknamed Dos a Cero by 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 10 September 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.[3] 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.[4]

On 11 November 2016, Mexico was finally able to win a Hexagonal World Cup qualifier in Columbus after beating the U.S. 2-1 with a late Rafael Márquez header. A favourable result for Mexico over the U.S. in World Cup qualifying had not been obtained on U.S. soil since 1972. This would become a major factor in the U.S. failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as they would fail to make the final tournament for the first time in 32 years.

Results

Summary

On a macro level, Mexico leads the series 36–15–19, with almost double the goals of the U.S. (142–80).

On neutral territory, the United States leads the series 3–1. 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.

YearsMatchesFor MexicoDrawFor USAGoals
All Time70361519Mexico 142–80 United States
1930s–1940s7601Mexico 38–12 United States
1950s–1960s8620Mexico 30–8 United States
1970s–1980s121011Mexico 27–7 United States
1990s14563Mexico 17–15 United States
2000s164210Mexico 13–23 United States
2010s13544Mexico 17–15 United States
Main Championship TitlesMexicoUnited States
FIFA Confederations Cup*
1
0
CONCACAF Gold Cup
8
6
CONCACAF Cup*
1
0
CONCACAF Championship*
3
0

*no longer played

Gold Cup finals

The United States and Mexico have met in six Gold Cup finals to date, with Mexico holding a five 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
2019  United States
Mexico		 1–0
United States

List of matches
Date Location Competition Result Attendance Series (W-D-L)
May 24, 1934 Stadio Nazionale, Rome, Italy 1934 FIFA World Cup Qualifier 4–2 10,000 1–0–0 USA
September 12, 1937 Parque Asturias, Mexico City, D.F. Friendly 7–2 21,000 1–0–1
September 19, 1937 Parque Necaxa, Mexico City, D.F. 7–3 22,000 2–0–1 MEX
September 26, 1937 5–1 3–0–1 MEX
July 13, 1947 Estadio Tropical, Havana, Cuba 1947 NAFC Championship 5–0 4–0–1 MEX
September 4, 1949 Estadio de los Deportes, Mexico City, D.F. 1949 NAFC Championship[n 1] 6–0 60,000 5–0–1 MEX
September 18, 1949 6–2 54,500 6–0–1 MEX
January 10, 1954 1954 FIFA World Cup qualifier 4–0 60,000 7–0–1 MEX
January 14, 1954 3–1 40,000 8–0–1 MEX
April 7, 1957 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, D.F. 1958 FIFA World Cup qualifier 6–0 75,000 9–0–1 MEX
April 28, 1957 Veterans Memorial Stadium, Long Beach, California 7–2 12,500 10–0–1 MEX
November 6, 1960 Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifier 3–3 8,000 10–1–1 MEX
November 13, 1960 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, D.F. 3–0 80,000 11–1–1 MEX
March 7, 1965 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–2 19,337 11–2–1 MEX
March 12, 1965 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City, D.F. 2–0 64,285 12–2–1 MEX
September 3, 1972 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier 3–1 29,891 13–2–1 MEX
September 10, 1972 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 2–1 9,620 14–2–1 MEX
October 16, 1973 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. Friendly 2–0 14,000 15–2–1 MEX
September 5, 1974 Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León 3–1 25,000 16–2–1 MEX
September 8, 1974 Texas Stadium, Dallas, Texas 1–0 22,164 17–2–1 MEX
August 24, 1975 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 2–0 18–2–1 MEX
October 3, 1976 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifier 0–0 31,171 18–3–1 MEX
October 15, 1976 Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Puebla 3–0 35,000 19–3–1 MEX
September 27, 1977 Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León Friendly 3–0 20,000 20–3–1 MEX
November 9, 1980 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifier 5–1 90,000 21–3–1 MEX
November 23, 1980 Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–1 2,126 21–3–2 MEX
October 17, 1984 Estadio Neza 86, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México Friendly 2–1 22–3–2 MEX
March 12, 1991 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 1991 North American Nations Cup 2–2 22–4–2 MEX
July 5, 1991 1991 Gold Cup semifinal 2–0 41,103 22–4–3 MEX
July 25, 1993 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 4–0 120,000 23–4–3 MEX
October 13, 1993 RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. Friendly 1–1 23,927 23–5–3 MEX
June 4, 1994 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California 1–0 91,123 23–5–4 MEX
June 18, 1995 RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. 1995 U.S. Cup 4–0 38,615 23–5–5 MEX
July 17, 1995 Estadio Parque Artigas, Paysandú, Uruguay 1995 Copa América Quarterfinal 0–0 (4–1) PK 15,000 23–6–5 MEX[lower-alpha 1]
June 16, 1996 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California 1996 U.S. Cup 2–2 92,216 23–7–5 MEX
January 19, 1997 1997 U.S. Cup 2–0 31,725 24–7–5 MEX
April 20, 1997 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–2 57,877 24–8–5 MEX
November 2, 1997 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 0–0 115,000 24–9–5 MEX
February 15, 1998 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 1–0 91,255 25–9–5 MEX
March 13, 1999 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California 1999 U.S. Cup 2–1 50,234 26–9–5 MEX
August 1, 1999 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1999 Confederations Cup semifinal 1–0 aet (0–0) 65,000 27–9–5 MEX
June 11, 2000 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 2000 U.S. Cup 3–0 45,008 27–9–6 MEX
October 25, 2000 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California Friendly 2–0 61,072 27–9–7 MEX
February 28, 2001 Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier 24,329 27–9–8 MEX
July 1, 2001 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1–0 110,000 28–9–8 MEX
April 3, 2002 Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado Friendly 1–0 48,476 28–9–9 MEX
June 17, 2002 Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju, South Korea 2002 FIFA World Cup Round Of 16 2–0 36,380 28–9–10 MEX
May 8, 2003 Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas Friendly 0–0 69,582 28–10–10 MEX
April 28, 2004 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas 1–0 45,048 28–10–11 MEX
March 27, 2005 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–1 110,000 29–10–11 MEX
September 3, 2005 Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 2–0 24,685 29–10–12 MEX
February 7, 2007 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona Friendly 62,462 29–10–13 MEX
June 24, 2007 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 2–1 60,000 29–10–14 MEX
February 6, 2008 Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas Friendly 2–2 70,103 29–11–14 MEX
February 11, 2009 Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–0 23,776 29–11–15 MEX
July 26, 2009 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 5–0 79,156 30–11–15 MEX
August 12, 2009 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–1 110,000 31–11–15 MEX
June 25, 2011 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 4–2 93,420 32–11–15 MEX
August 10, 2011 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friendly 1–1 30,138 32–12–15 MEX
August 15, 2012 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1–0 56,000 32–12–16 MEX
March 26, 2013 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier 0–0 85,500 32–13–16 MEX
September 10, 2013 Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 2–0 24,584 32–13–17 MEX
April 2, 2014 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona Friendly 2–2 59,066 32–14–17 MEX
April 15, 2015 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas 2–0 64,369 32–14–18 MEX
October 10, 2015 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California 2015 CONCACAF Cup 3–2 93,420 33–14–18 MEX
November 11, 2016 Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–1 24,650 34–14–18 MEX
June 11, 2017 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, D.F. 1–1 71,537 34–15–18 MEX
September 11, 2018 Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee Friendly 1–0 40,194 34–15–19 MEX
July 7, 2019 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final 1–0 62,493 35–15–19 MEX
September 6, 2019 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Friendly 3–0 47,960 36–15–19 MEX

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.

Other cases include William Yarbrough, Isaác Brizuela, Miguel Ponce and more recently with Jonathan González.

  • William Yarbrough – born March 20, 1989 in Aguascalientes, Mexico to American parents, has an extensive career with Liga MX club León. Yarbrough did participate with a Mexico U20 squad in 2007 but did not obtain any playing minutes. In March 2015 he appears for the US team in a friendly against Denmark.
  • Isaác Brizuela – born August 28, 1990 in San Jose, California to Mexican parents. Brizuela has made an entire career with Liga MX clubs Toluca, Atlas and Chivas Guadalajara. He was part of the Mexican delegation that obtained the gold medal in the 2011 Pan American Games. He makes his full appearance with Mexico in 2013.
  • Miguel Ponce – born April 12, 1989 in Sacramento holds an extensive career with Liga MX clubs Chivas Guadalajara, Toluca and Necaxa. Ponce was part of the Mexico squads that took part in the 2011 Copa América, obtained gold medals at the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2012 Olympic Games. Makes his full appearance scoring one goal at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
  • Jonathan González – born April 13, 1999 in Santa Rosa to Mexican parents. A product of the US national team youth program, González was part of the USA U20 squad that won the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. In 2014 he enters Liga MX club Monterrey's juvenile program and is eventually promoted to the senior squad in July 2017. In December 2017 González publicly states his wish to represent Mexico on the official scale. In January 2018 FIFA granted his request and he made his full appearance with Mexico on January 31 in a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. González has also been involved in Mexico's youth squad projects such as the 2018 Toulon Tournament in which Mexico's U20 ended as runner-ups of the tournament.

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8] Hejduk did not retaliate, and Ramirez was not reprimanded.

Women's football

While most matches between the US and Mexico women's teams have been played on U.S. soil, some have been played in Mexico, 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.

Most games have been won by the US team. The Mexican women's team defeated the U.S. at the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup semifinal, where they won 2–1. This win qualified the Mexican side for 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, although in that tournament, the U.S. fielded their U-20 team as opposed to their senior team.

On January 28, 2018, the Mexican U-20 squad defeated the United States' team in the finals of the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. After a 1–1 draw in the first 90 minutes, Mexico won the match on penalty kicks, scoring 4 against the US total of 2. It was the third time the CONCACAF U-20 Championship featured USA and Mexico in the final game, and the first time that Mexico won.[9]

A 2012 documentary, Gringos at the Gate / Ahi Vienen Los Gringos, written and directed by Pablo Miralles, Roberto Donati, and Michael Whalen,[10] focuses on the cultural differences between the United States and Mexico when it comes to football. This includes the conflict of Mexican-American players in the U.S. while their family might support Mexico.[11]

gollark: We are currently... second?
gollark: They were with me. We spent 40 minutes on a weird issue because they misinterpreted the spec.
gollark: Probably.
gollark: You should probably not share the repo where people can see it.
gollark: * Divergent Naur form

See also

Notes
  1. Matches that go to penalty shootouts are always counted as ties by FIFA, regardless of which team won.
  1. Matches were also qualifiers for the 1950 World Cup.

References
  1. "Compare Teams". FIFA.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  2. Krauze, León (September 12, 2018). "The Beautiful, Ugly Game". Slate. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  3. Manfred, Tony (September 10, 2013). "DOS A CERO: USA Beats Mexico 2–0 Again, Qualifies For The 2014 World Cup". Business Insider. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  4. "Legend of "Dos A Cero" lives on: Here's the full list of 2-0 wins by the US national team over Mexico". Major League Soccer. April 16, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  5. "EU – México | Donovan orinó la cancha del Jalisco". Es.rec.deportes.futbol.narkive.com. February 11, 2004. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  6. Whiteside, Kelly (February 12, 2004). "USATODAY.com – Notebook: Mexicans' behavior part of the game". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  7. "USA v Mexico 2/7/07". YouTube. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  8. "Frankie Hejduk Gets Slapped By a Mexican Coach". Bleacher Report. February 13, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  9. "USA falls to Mexico in PKs in CONCACAF Women's U-20 title match". soccerwire.com. January 29, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  10. "Gringos at the Gate (2012)". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  11. Archived November 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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