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MEXICO CITY — Even if you wanted to, it was impossible to escape the attention of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier between the United States and Mexico. Walking around North America’s oldest metropolis, countless images of the two rival soccer teams appeared on newsstands while restaurants buzzed with chit-chat about the match at the Estadio Azteca.
Even at the National Museum of Anthropology, in what should have been a quiet morning distraction on the day of the game, a couple of attendees with U.S. men’s national team jerseys wandered around and gazed upon ancient Mexican artifacts.
When the USMNT walked onto the pitch on Thursday night, many of them also likely gazed outwards, wondering what had made the Azteca a significant relic of its own for Mexico. No matter the push and pull between the two rival soccer nations, the imposing venue in the heart of the country had never provided a win for the USMNT in an official match.
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Only two times has Mexico lost a World Cup qualifying match at the Azteca — to Costa Rica in 2001 and to Honduras in 2013. So rare that those defeats are simply referred to as Aztecazos. It surely didn’t want to see the USMNT etch its name to that list.
Considering that both the USMNT and Mexico will not need to qualify for the World Cup as co-hosts in 2026, and that an expanded tournament will put the qualification process into question going forward, it became clear that Thursday’s match would also be the last meaningful one for the two countries at the venerable Azteca for at least several years, or perhaps even ever.
Mexico were eager for redemption. After losing three previous times to the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League final, the Gold Cup final and a previous qualifier, a statement win at the Azteca would be a…
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Source : espn
