MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Soccer Federation’s buildup toward Thursday’s World Cup qualifier here in the sprawling Mexican capital included a video and feature on the American men who’ve scored against El Tri at the Estadio Azteca. The first was Willy Roy, the German-born, Chicago-bred National Soccer Hall of Fame forward who struck in the initial meeting between the sides at the massive new stadium south of the city center.
That was back in 1972. Since then, through five decades and 12 additional encounters, Roy has been joined by only five more compatriots. Simply scoring once at Azteca is so noteworthy that it’s become something worth commemorating. A win is almost unheard of. The American men are 1-9-3 all-time at the famously intimidating venue, the lone victory coming in a relatively low-key (by U.S.-Mexico standards) friendly a decade ago. And the rest of the region hasn’t fared much better. El Tri has dropped just two qualifiers at Azteca in 50 years.
“Our record here is horrendous, you know? The odds are against us getting something out of this game,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said here Wednesday. “We know that. We realize that and that’s just how it is, and we’re focused on going in and being difficult to play against—competing.”
