Dos a Cero nickname of U.S. vs. Mexico
Dos a Cero has become an unofficial nickname of sorts for the U.S. vs. Mexico game and rivalry. It has resulted from the last four World Cup qualifiers played in Columbus, Ohio.
There have been 13 games out of 66 total in the U.S. vs. Mexico rivalry that have ended with 2-0 on the scoreboard.
The first was on March 12, 1965 at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City which saw the hosts redeem themselves after a surprising 2-2 draw five days earlier in Los Angeles. The match was part of qualifying for the 1966 World Cup.
Two friendlies at the Estadio Azteca saw the scoreline repeated in 1973 and in 1975.
The U.S. truly ignited the rivalry with their first 2-0 win on July 5, 1991 in the first Gold Cup semifinal. Goals by John Doyle & Peter Vermes led the Americans to a shocking win that many see as the true turning point when the U.S. believed that they were equals with Mexico. The win was only the third in the overall series for the U.S. dating back to 1934.
And Mexico has earned their third and final 2-0 win over the U.S. on January 19, 1997 at the U.S. Cup at the Rose Bowl. That tournament was a major disappointment for the U.S. as they were headed into the final round of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, it was also the first time Mexico defeated the U.S. on American soil since 1974.
The U.S. notched another 2-0 on October 25, 2000 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in front of 61,072. This match is a famous one as it was Landon Donovan’s national team debut and he scored to mark the occasion.
The true history of the Dos a Cero result started on February 28, 2001 in La Guerra Fria at the Columbus Crew Stadium in a World Cup qualifier. Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart were the goalscorers. The win marked the first time the U.S. won three straight over Mexico and the first win in World Cup qualifying against Mexico since 1980.
Andrew Das of the New York Timeshad some great background this week about how Columbus made this game work and how they went about selling it.
The scoreline was forever marked in history by the greatest U.S. win over Mexico at the 2002 World Cup in the Round of 16. Jeonju, South Korea was the host for the legendary win that saw Brian McBride and Landon Donovan score to eliminate Mexico from the World Cup and send the U.S. to their first quarterfinal appearance.
In 2005 saw the next U.S. 2-0 win in a World Cup qualifier at Columbus Crew Stadium. Steve Ralston and DaMarcus Beasley scored the goals that sealed qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The next time the rivals clashed also saw a 2-0 win for the U.S. in a friendly at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This game is primarily remembered for Landon Donovan’s late goal that sealed it.
The next time met in World Cup qualifying saw a familiar scoreline in a familiar venue. February 11, 2009 saw Michael Bradley score twice for the U.S. to defeat El Tri.
Landon Donovan scored and assisted Eddie Johnson’s goal in his U.S. vs. Mexico swan song in 2013. The win sent the U.S. to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and saw Mexico nearly fail to qualify. The biggest question here was whether Clint Dempsey intentionally missed a late penalty attempt to keep the scoreline at 2-0.
Jordan Morris, who will missFriday’s game due to injury, scored in his first start with the national team in a friendly win in San Antonio in 2015.
With the last four World Cup qualifiers against Mexico at home all finishing with the U.S. winning 2-0, Dos a Cero is often thought of as unique to Columbus.
And history repeatedly itself again Friday night!
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