Follow along as the longtime Concacaf rivals go head-to-head at Estadio Azteca, with both looking to take definitive steps toward the World Cup.
With the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico both closing in on berths at the 2022 World Cup, their qualifying matchup at Estadio Azteca is laced with even more intensity than usual.
The two border rivals meet in Mexico City on Thursday night, with both looking to take definitive steps toward Qatar. There are paths—longshot paths as they may be—for both sides to punch their tickets on the night, but either way, both are looking to get the upper hand in a race that has come down to the final window.
The U.S. enters on the heels of three consecutive wins over Mexico, with all three coming in a five-month span in different competitions. The Concacaf Nations League final and Gold Cup final triumphs preceded the revival of Dos a Cero in World Cup qualifying, giving the Americans the upper hand at this point of the rivalry. They’ve never beaten Mexico four straight times.
The U.S. will be shorthanded with Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Matt Turner all ruled out through injury. Four more key U.S. players—Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, Zack Steffen and DeAndre Yedlin—are carrying yellow cards into the match, which would put them at risk of missing Sunday’s home match vs. Panama if they pick up another card at the Azteca. That’s of no mind to Gregg Berhalter: all four got the start Thursday night.
The U.S. has never won a qualifier at the famed venue and has only won once there in history (a friendly in 2012), but with the stakes absolute, there would be no better time for another historic step for Berhalter’s young side. While it would require help, both the U.S. and Mexico can qualify for Qatar with a win Thursday. In addition to the result, the winner would need Panama to lose to Honduras and Costa Rica to not beat Canada in order to clinch a top-three finish in the region and an automatic World Cup berth.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here is the U.S.’s lineup for the match:
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