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.

Locale	North America (CONCACAF)
Teams	Mexico United States
First meeting	24 May 1934 Stadio Nazionale Rome, Italy (MEX 2–4 USA)
Latest meeting	6 September 2019 Friendly MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey United States (USA 0–3 MEX)
Next meeting	TBA
Statistics
Meetings total	70
Most wins	Mexico (36)
All-time series	36–15–19 (W–D–L) (Mexico)[1]
Largest victory	12 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.

Years	Matches	For Mexico	Draw	For USA	Goals
All Time	70	36	15	19	Mexico 142–80 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	14	5	6	3	Mexico 17–15 United States
2000s	16	4	2	10	Mexico 13–23 United States
2010s	13	5	4	4	Mexico 17–15 United States

Main Championship Titles	Mexico	United 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]

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,[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]

See also

• Hexagonal (CONCACAF)

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

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 football rivalry