The United States men's national team is set to host rival Mexico on Friday night at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus for the next chapter of one of the world's most fierce and intense international battles. Here's everything you need to know about the Mexico-United States soccer rivalry ahead of Friday's World Cup qualifying contest.
The first meeting
The first meeting between the two was way back in 1936 at Stadio Nazionale in Rome, Italy. It was a qualifying match for the 1934 World Cup, which the U.S. won 4-2.
All-time record
Mexico leads the all-time series with a record of 38-18-14. But it's the recent history that is eye-catching, especially for American fans. From 1990-1999, Mexico beat the U.S. six times. Since 2000, Mexico has only beaten the U.S. six times, while the U.S. has won 13 times over that time span. Advantage goes to red, white and blue.
History of 'Dos a Cero'
Columbus has become a hotbed for this rivalry. If you have to play Mexico and you are Jurgen Klinsmann, you want the game to be in Columbus.
For the most part, when people think about Mexico going to the U.S. to play, 'Dos a Cero' comes to mind. That's two to zero in English, referencing the very common scoreline in which the U.S. has beaten Mexico time and time again on American soil.
Here's how it all began.
On Feb. 28, 2001 in World Cup Qualifying, Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart scored to start the 'Dos a Cero' trend.
And then it just kept happening.
It occurred outside of Columbus in the 2002 World Cup Round of 16. In terms of stakes, it was the most important match between two sides. Thanks to a 2-0 victory, the Americans moved on to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Then it happened again in World Cup Qualifying in 2005, 2009 and 2013 -- all in Columbus. In addition to those, the U.S. has won three friendlies against Mexico by the same scoreline since 2000 -- in Los Angeles in 2000, Phoenix in 2007 and San Antonio in 2015.
Last meeting
Of course, Mexico won the last game they played on American soil -- a 3-2 win last year at the Rose Bowl to take home the CONCACAF Cup and earn a spot at the 2017 Confederations Cup. It's going to be tricky for El Tri to win back-to-back games, given the location of this year's clash. In 11 games, the USMNT has never lost in Columbus, winning eight and drawing three.
On Friday, the next chapter will be written. And if history is any indicator, the U.S. will end the night with three points.
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