Asked why the quadrennial FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match played between the U.S. men's national team and Mexico occupies such prominent real estate in America's soccer consciousness, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter offered a historical perspective.
"I think it’s because they’ve been top dog in the region historically, right? And now we come in and we have something to say about it," Berhalter told The Enquirer on Sunday. "And we, over the years and the early 2000s, we started dominating the matchup. It was something that – no one likes to be taken off their perch and this was something where it became personal and the matchups have been heated. For the U.S. fans, the U.S. loves to see winners and to see the national team start to get some good victories against Mexico, it meant a lot. All that intensified the rivalry. Now, if you’re talking about in the 70s and they’re beating us every game, the rivalry wasn’t as intense, right?"
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It's true that Mexico has historically owned the all-time series between the two soccer federations, but it's also true that since 2000, the U.S. boasts a 15-9-6 record against Mexico.
That includes two American victories in matches this past summer when trophies were on the line in the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup finals, which has left the rivalry on a high simmer since their conclusion.
Nothing squelches the simmer like a win in the World Cup qualifier contested by the countries on U.S. soil, which will be staged in the ongoing qualifying Friday at FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium (9:10 p.m.).
This iteration of USMNT-Mexico is spiked with an acute sense of Cincinnati pride, and the meaning of the game to the city and region goes far beyond the final score when the 90-plus minutes have expired.
For years during FC Cincinnati's rise from the third rung of American soccer to the first-division Major League Soccer, the city was championing an an emerging soccer market.
But USMNT-Mexico wouldn't be staged in the city if it was still emerging. The fact that the match will be played in the West End neighborhood on Friday is a signal the region is now viewed as a bona fide, mature soccer market.
In fact, U.S. Soccer is banking on that. Cincinnati's passionate fan support has been hailed as part of the rationale for staging the game at FC Cincinnati first-year, 26,000-capacity venue.
USMNT needs every advantage it can deploy in the latest chapter of the running feud with Mexico – a point Berhalter reiterated and defended during a Thursday news conference.
Berhalter, who previously managed Columbus Crew of MLS, said he knew Cincinnati would be a suitable site for the match based on his experience on the losing side of a U.S. Open Cup match played at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium in 2017.
"We had a working group that got together and evaluated what’s gonna be important for each game. We looked at the weather, we looked at the crowd, we looked at the facilities – both training and stadium," Berhalter said. "We looked at the distance of that game to the next game, and overall, my personal experience here really helped me understand what the fans are like.
"I’ve mentioned, I referenced the game we had against Cincinnati in the Open Cup and that was one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced in the United States because of both fan bases in the same stadium in big numbers."
Hosting USMNT-Mexico is a form of acknowledgement, and it brings with it millions of eyes from throughout the sporting world that will be fixed on Cincinnati for several hours on Friday.
"It is an incredible honor," Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said Wednesday. "And, of course, we're gonna win ... It's amazing to think that just a few years ago, there was no TQL Stadium. There was no FC Cincinnati, and yet now we are hosting USA and Mexico in Cincinnati."
What's at stake in USMNT vs. Mexico game
There is no higher level of soccer than playing in a World Cup, and Friday's contest is part of the qualifying process for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In other words, the stakes couldn't be higher. Victory on Friday makes the chances of a World Cup berth that much more likely.
But failing to qualify for the World Cup is an outright embarrassment, as the U.S. team learned in its failed bid to reach the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Mexico's also flirted with missing the World Cup in the not-too-distant past, so both countries know the weight of the pressure
In FIFA's Concacaf region, three teams out of eight qualify for Qatar automatically. The fourth-place finisher in the eight-team group plays an intercontinental playoff for one final chance to make it, so the race for one of the top three spots is intense.
2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying standings - Concacaf
1. Mexico (4-0-2, 14 points)
2. USA (3-1-2, 11 points)
3. Canada (2-0-4, 10 points)
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4. Panama (2-2-2, 8 points)
***
5. Costa Rica (1-2-3, 6 points)
6. Jamaica (1-3-2, five points)
7. El Salvador (1-3-2, 5 points)
8. Honduras (0-3-3, 3 points)Top three teams in the round-robin, eight-team group qualify directly for Qatar. The fourth place finisher faces a playoff.
Winning the eight-team "octagonal" isn't necessary, but both the U.S. and Mexico are typically expected to qualify with style. A win would put either country in a strong position with half the qualifying matches played.
As expected for a match of this magnitude, Friday's game will be contested by an assemblage of talented players that might never be equaled in TQL Stadium history. Both national teams are stocked full with elite players on contract in the American and Mexican domestic leagues, Europe and beyond.
Exposure for Cincinnati and its 2026 World Cup bid
It's to Cincinnati's strategic advantage to host USMNT-Mexico, and not just its privilege. The city will be on the receiving end of widespread, international recognition as a result of the game.
ESPN and other TV networks will help amplify Cincinnati's reach.
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ESPN alone will dedicate no less than four hours of programming live from TQL Stadium on Friday, and ESPN Deportes on Thursday broadcast with Moerlein Lager House at The Banks as the backdrop.
ESPN makes up just a part of the more than 200 national and international media members credentialed for the game. All of those individuals will paint the picture of this historic rivalry with Cincinnati flavoring.
Tourism dollars come with hosting the Mexico match, too.
Some locals will be inside TQL Stadium for the match, but tickets for the game were also purchased by individuals in all 50 states, as well as in Washington D.C.
All of this, along with marshaling the security, law enforcement and logistical resources required to stage the match, is also bolstering the city's bid to host FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 when the event is jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
"Hosting this World Cup qualifier – the biggest soccer match in this country every four years – is absolutely a warm-up," Berding said during public remarks Wednesday, "and shows U.S. Soccer, Concacaf and FIFA that Cincinnati is well-positioned to put on a spectacular event with soccer passion and pride and the spirit of the heartland of this country, and we're gonna show that on Friday night."
In line with the upsides to Cincinnati's bid as described to FIFA delegates during an October site inspection, the U.S. men's national team used a discreet hotel located away from Downtown, and had a successful week of training at FC Cincinnati's Mercy Health Training Center in suburban Milford.
Mexico trained for part of the week leading up to the match in Indianapolis, and even that underscored aspects of the bid, which is viewed as a cooperative, regional effort as it has the support of high-ranking politicians in Indiana and Kentucky.
Locally, multiple city and county departments, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the local FBI field office, Cincinnati Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol are providing logistical and other support for the event.
Paul Brown Stadium would be the venue for World Cup matches if the city's bid is successful, so the experience of the USMNT-Mexico isn't quite the same undertaking. But as Berding said, it's a warm-up, and the highest-profile one possible.
Not only is Friday an audition for the World Cup but its a chance to make Cincinnati one of U.S. Soccer's favorite homes.
There's no doubt U.S. Soccer is fond of FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium. Friday marks the federation's second event at venue since September, when the women's national team thrashed Paraguay in a friendly.
It stands to reason U.S. Soccer will be back again but the outcomes on Friday – both on and off the field – are consequential to ensuring that happens.
"It's obviously having a great experience on Friday night, and having a good outcome also helps," Berding said. "But from our point of view, we have the best stadium, the biggest soccer specific stadium (in America), the most premium seating, probably the most passionate fan base when you look at what's been built here in a short period of time, so, look, we have great training facilities ... We just need to continue to grow as a club, which I think we've shown we'll continue to grow. As we continue to develop the area around the stadium, that will be new. I think you'll continue to see new development in FC Cincinnati and in the city, and that's going to continue to reinforce why U.S. Soccer needs to come back."
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