[♪ soft music playing ♪]
[commentator] Pushing it out on the far side,
kept in by Arriola
using his speed, driven across towards the penalty spot.
Tips up, and in!
And Trinidad and Tobago in front.
The Trinidad game... disaster.
[commentator] Long distance blast, and it's Alvin Jones!
One for the legend books!
We didn't make the World Cup because we lost to Trinidad and Tobago.
[commentator] Jones into the corner. The whistle.
It's done! It's over.
Trinidad has dethroned the United States,
knocking them out of the World Cup 2018.
[Wahl] The failure of the US to qualify for 2018
is the biggest failure in the history of United States soccer.
[commentator in Spanish] The United States
has been left out of the World Cup.
[news presenter] America missing its first World Cup
since 1986.
[Omar González] I just wanna say sorry to the fans that were pulling for us,
that wanted to go to Russia, that believed in us.
We let down an entire nation today.
The United States, eliminated.
We have no excuses.
We failed today.
[Taylor Twellman] This is an utter embarrassment.
With the amount of money
that is in Major League Soccer and in the sport, you can't get a draw?
A tie? Against Trinidad?
What are we doing? What are we doing?!
Do you know who else did not qualify for the World Cup?
The United States did not qualify!
We've got money, we've got resources, we've got population.
This is as embarrassing as humanly possible.
[commentator] ...Pulisic back for the US, into the near post. And it in!
And it had to be
Rafael Márquez who's done it!
I enjoyed beating the United States
and breaking the curse.
Anyone in need of a team to root for, join us,
cheering for the Mexican National Team.
Vamos, Mexico.
[cheering in the background]
[♪ soft music playing ♪]
[male narrator] The US-Mexico rivalry
is the best rivalry in international soccer.
[man] Landon Donovan widely considered
to be the greatest soccer player in American history.
[man 2] Rafa Márquez is, without a doubt,
one of the most successful Mexican players in European soccer.
[commentator] Mexico have taken the US to the woodshed.
Too much for the young Americans.
The USA have done it again!
[fans chanting] Dos a cero!
[commentator] Márquez sent off. A really dangerous challenge.
[Trump] They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime.
[man] Now you have an already heated rivalry
in a political battlefield.
[man 2] Let's move on to the subject of immigration.
Mexico will not pay for the fucking wall.
[Mexican fans chanting]
[Rafael Márquez] For me soccer is everything.
I've lived off soccer.
[♪ music fades away slowly ♪]
[fans cheering in the background]
[drumming] [fans chanting] Landon!
[woman] Landon! [drumming]
[Landon Donovan, in Spanish] It's very important to me that you know
I'm here to play soccer, to win trophies
and to be champion with you.
[fans cheering]
[Donovan] I have a real place in my heart
for the Mexican culture and the Mexican people
because of where I grew up and what it's meant to me.
At that point in my life, I could've gone a lot of places.
I had an offer to go to India and play,
which was also intriguing and interesting.
And in the end, there was something about experiencing Mexico in a real way
that was appealing to me.
[female TV host] It couldn't be any other day.
Landon Donovan is returning after only two years in retirement.
This feels like a Hollywood movie.
[female news presenter] Captain America is moving to Mexico.
Landon Donovan has come out of retirement for a second time.
[man] He wants to help break down barriers
between the United States and Mexico, and he sees this as a way to do it.
[man] The question is whether Donovan,
at his age and with his work philosophy, will be able
to get fit and regain his pace,
or whether this is a sham, a joke,
a signing that, for from helping,
damages both the team's and the league's credibility.
[Donovan] And it was also a challenge just to go there,
integrate myself and understand the Mexican people better,
and let them understand me better,
and start to, like, mend some of those wounds.
So I thought, like, all of that combined made it a really...
interesting decision and choice to do that.
[commentator] Here comes Landon Donovan wearing number 20.
After 15 months and four days of retirement,
today he returns for the second time.
[Donovan] The rivalry between the US and Mexico
is not just about soccer.
It's about a lot more than that, and I experienced it in 2018
when I did the Wells Fargo commercial supporting Mexico during the World Cup.
Anyone in need of a team to root for, join us
in cheering for the Mexican National Team. Vamos, México.
[fans cheering in the background]
[Hérculez Gómez] That would not happen on the Mexican side. I'll tell you that much.
You would never find Rafa Márquez or Osvaldo Sánchez,
no matter how much money the offered them, doing that.
[male presenter] He's the face of American soccer
and he says he's rooting for Mexico during the World Cup.
I don't blame him,
but a lot of his former teammates are very upset.
I don't root for Mexico, I will never root for Mexico.
Like, look, I don't have a thing against Mexico per se,
but I will not root for them.
[Donovan] That decision by me
to show support for the Mexican soccer team
brought out a lot of anger
in a lot of Americans who don't want Mexicans in our country.
And I saw it in every tweet, and message,
and everything people said.
And that told me very clearly this was not about soccer.
This was about Americans and Mexicans.
[Marion Reimers] To say this was controversial
would be an understatement.
The correct adjective would be "opportunistic."
[♪ tense music playing ♪]
It's a discourse matter.
Supporting the Mexican team doesn't mean supporting Mexicans.
He said, "I grew up with Mexicans, I get along with them."
That's alright.
Perhaps I'm being short-sighted here.
I don't consider Landon Donovan to be a leading voice
in public discourse on supporting Mexican migrants.
[Donovan] So I understand why people get upset.
Should I've handled it better? For sure.
Should I've been smarter about it? For sure.
But I have zero regrets.
What people don't understand about me
is that I grew up in Southern California.
When I was on my first club team,
ninety-five percent of players on the club team were Mexican.
At least half my friends that I hung out with were Mexican.
I have become the player I am and sometimes the person I am
because of the influence of the Mexican culture.
[Heriberto Murrieta] Donovan embodies the new US soccer player.
The old ones were not as skilled. They didn't compete,
they didn't fight, they didn't add anything.
But Donovan is a great player,
and he also has personality and he understand the rivalry.
And he adds fuel to the fire.
He's brilliant.
[fans cheering and screaming]
[♪ soft guitar music playing ♪]
[commentator] Rafa Márquez about to enter, what a moment!
He's going to play in his fifth World Cup.
This is a historic moment for him.
The great captain, the kaiser from Zamora, Michoacán.
[Márquez] Soccer is everything. I was born with soccer.
And I will probably die with soccer.
[commentator] Fernandinho placing it into the path of Neymar.
Neymar... Gonna be two!
It's Brazil two, Mexico nil.
It is adiós México, I'm afraid.
Welcome into the last eight, Brazil.
[♪ soft guitar music continues ♪]
[man] Rafa Márquez debuted in Barcelona on September 3, 2003.
Almost 19 years later,
this football player, referred to as the kaiser,
makes his triumphant debut as manager of the Barcelona Athletic.
[male presenter] Rafa Márquez has been announced
as the new manager for Barcelona Atlético.
Better known as Barça's B team, he's gonna play in third tier,
managing the third tier of Spanish football.
He of course played for Barcelona for seven years,
between 2003 and 2010, won a couple Champions Leagues.
[Márquez] I'm very happy and glad
to take this great chance I'm being given.
I know the club very well, this is a new stage,
and I'm hoping to do a good job.
From what I've learned about being a coach,
you have to be humble and disciplined, to work hard and make sacrifices,
and try and make players give their best.
Try to enjoy the present and to make them better each day,
better human beings.
When I lose the ball, I can't...
I believe humbleness is a very important personality trait.
You must be humble enough to remember where you came from,
humble enough to embrace fame,
and also to give way to people who may be better than you.
If my father were alive,
he would have been there for me in every step of the way.
He would've seen me win the Champions League,
seen me play on the World Cups, or been there when I retired.
Or at least he would've been around to see my children.
That's probably the most important thing to me.
[♪ soft music playing ♪]
A huge announcement today. TQL Stadium in Cincinnati
will host the World Cup qualifying match
this coming November.
The game between Mexico and the United States men's team.
[coach speaking indistinctly]
It sucks to say that we didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup,
but on the positive side,
I don't know if we would have half of the players
that are on the National Team right now would've given a chance
if that team would've qualified for the 2018 World Cup.
[Clint Dempsey] We should have came out and got the job done.
There's no way we shouldn't get a result in that game.
I didn't feel there was a lot of talent that was feeding into the US team.
But sometimes you gotta take a step back, take two steps forward.
[Balboa] You've got 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds who are playing at the highest level.
They're quality players.
[Grant Wahl] There are US National Team players now
in some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Christian Pulisic at Chelsea, Weston McKennie at Juventus.
Tyler Adams at Leeds United.
Brenden Aaronson at Leeds United.
Gio Reyna at Borussia Dortmund, just to name a few.
A new generation of American players have come in,
have sparked this rivalry again.
This is the moment that's gonna change history in this rivalry.
These guys, they play in some of the great clubs in the world,
in some of the great leagues in the world,
and I love the fact that it does seem to be
more than just a game when it's US-Mexico.
And you can feel it, you can taste it, you can smell it.
And I hope it never gets lost, I hope it never becomes just another game.
Being our biggest rival, I think any time it's USA-Mexico.
It's just... You know what it's gonna be.
You know it's gonna be a battle.
We play Mexico so many times in the United States
in front of a pro Mexican crowd,
and this is one time every four years where you get to play them on your terms.
And it's amazing, it's an amazing atmosphere.
[Cristian Roldán] Our mindset going into this game has gotta be "do or die."
We wanna separate ourselves from the rest of the group,
we wanna finish on top.
[Paul Arriola] But our goal is to change the way the world looks at US
and the way that we play football.
We come into each camp with that mindset.
How can we get better? How can we prove to the world
that we're here to play
and we're here to be a top country in the world?
This is a completely new slate. Mexico is coming into it looking at their goal of,
you know, "Yeah, big game against the US, but it means nothing."
We have to go out there, we need to get three points.
I think it's easy sometimes to get carried away,
but we have to remember what we're here to do,
and that's to qualify.
With all good rivalries, it's that little bit of extra something
that you really want to get the edge on them, and they wanna do the same to us.
Games that we all live for.
[whistle blows]
[♪ upbeat music playing ♪]
[Pulisic] I think that's what makes us special
and not just where your family is from.
It's also just the different qualities and abilities that everyone has
within our team, it's what makes America America, as well.
[applauding]
We talk about it sometimes, just joking around.
We do have a very diverse group.
[Arriola] I think that's exactly what this country is.
It's people of all different backgrounds,
people that come from all over the place, that are still American.
You know, I think it's a wonderful way to represent this country,
and to show what we're about.
I went to mostly a predominantly all black high school.
No one played soccer. We had a couple, but that was it.
You'd get it when you talked to your friends, like,
"Man, why're you playing soccer? No one plays soccer."
But we're starting to see more black players
want to play the game of soccer.
And they can look at these players and say,
"I wanna be like him, I wanna be like him."
Before, we had one, two, maybe three.
But now we have a whole team of them.
And for me it's great to see.
I love looking out on the National Team
and just seeing everyone being different.
[man on speaker] Are y'all ready for tomorrow?
[crowd cheering]
Are y'all ready for tomorrow?
[Brian Hexsel] It's our biggest rivalry, USA versus Mexico,
and there's no better spot than up here in Cincinnati, Ohio.
And I'm excited to see.
We really started American Outlaws back in 2007.
There was nothing where fans could go and have this sense of community
around the love of the game.
We have over 20,000 members around the world.
And we have former players, you know, like, Landon Donovan
is a member of American Outlaws as well.
[chanting] I believe that we will win!
Over the last 20 years, we've created
this incredible soccer nation in our country.
Millions, millions of fans that support the US National Team.
[woman] American Outlaws are gonna be those 12th man in the stadium.
We're gonna make sure they feel us as they're getting tired,
they hear us cheering for them, saying, "You got it.
We're gonna push you. We're gonna be loud no matter what,
and we're gonna make sure you know we're all there for the United States."
[♪ Mexican guitar music playing ♪]
[Rich Guel] There are many members of Pancho Villa.
We come from all over the place.
Some were born here in the US, some were born in Mexico
some have migrated here.
It's a band of all Mexicans that have come together.
[Zinuhe Tinoco] We all have different stories,
but we all have this passion and connection to Mexico.
[Guel] Every time we lose or win,
we remember our ancestors and the effort they made.
The day we win the World Cup, we will remember
our ancestors.
They also hoped to win someday and were very supportive,
and we are going to do the same.
We're present in many states, in like 35 or 36 cities.
And some of them are organized.
We come from different places, like Alabama, Tennessee,
Washington, Virginia, California.
We're coming from all sides, because when you're inside the stadium,
listening to the anthem, it's something that...
fills your heart and brings tears to your eyes
with the pride of being Mexican.
[Ricardo Pepi] There's a lot of mixed emotions, a lot of mixed feelings
towards this game, because, you know, I'm Mexican American
and I'm representing the US.
My family, they all have their jerseys and they're all very excited for the game.
[Carlos Meléndez] Our blood is Mexican,
but if it weren't for my nephew, we wouldn't have these jerseys
that we're wearing right now.
He's my son, a center-forward for the United States.
[Pepi] It's a big game for me and for my family.
I have to make great things happen.
I'm representing the whole country of the US.
First of all, we have to remember that it's soccer, it's a sport.
The fact that he is representing the US doesn't make him any less Mexican.
He lives and breathes like all Mexicans.
We feel that emotion.
And now it's a different emotion
because, like I said, we've always supported Mexico,
but now it's our turn to support the US.
[crowd chanting] U-S-A!
[commentator] US-Mexico, the biggest of nights in Cincinnati.
The oldest of rivalries in the newest of settings,
against the noisiest of neighbors.
[♪ suspense music playing ♪]
A game between the US and Mexico.
We're neighboring countries, we represent many things,
we help each other out in many aspects,
and there are many Mexicans living this side of the border.
Now that I live this rivalry between the Mexican
and the US National Teams,
it's very intense, everything's on the line.
It's a matter of pride, but also mostly of winning.
[Hejduk] I can't wait just to be at the game, man.
Fans are gonna be there, Mexicans are gonna be there,
Americans are gonna be there.
[fans chanting]
[commentator] History as any guide, this could be a turbulent evening.
[Hejduk] Everyone'll have a good time, drinking their cervezas.
Hopefully we get a dos a cero.
Maybe it's a new tradition: tres a cero. I'll take that.
[commentator] For these teams, the hoped for destination
is Qatar a year from now.
Pulisic not yet fit enough to start.
May well get a cameo from the Chelsea band in the second half.
Pepi!
[fans screaming and gasping]
[commentator] First semblance of a chance.
It's a foul by Musah.
[whistle blows]
[commentator] We will now see the first appearance of a yellow card.
[whistle blows]
[commentator] At the midway point, it is goalless.
[Wahl] I've covered enough US-Mexico World Cup qualifiers over the years
to know that the tiniest things that get said
can turn into bulletin-board material instantly for both teams.
So when Memo Ochoa, Mexico's goalkeeper, said,
"Mexico is the mirror in which the US wants to see itself,"
that became a big deal.
[commentator] On comes the prodigal son.
The player's return to National Team colors.
[fans cheering]
[♪ suspenseful music playing ♪]
[commentator] It is Romo.
[commentator] He's going to be replaced. Shortly so too, Corona.
This is Weah for the US.
And Weah does well! Very well! Goal!
So when Christian Pulisic scored the goal to go ahead of Mexico,
he pulls up his jersey to reveal a T-shirt that says, "Man in the mirror."
[commentator] USA!
[Whal] And even does a little thing with Weston McKennie after.
[commentator] What a potentially decisive moment
against the old enemy in a World Cup qualifier.
[Wahl] It was one of those fun, smack-talk moments
that we see sometimes in this rivalry.
It really resonated inside the US team,
and it made for a classic moment that we'll talk about years from now.
[commentator] McKennie. And again McKennie!
Dos a cero!
[crowd cheers] [commentator] USA!
[commentator in Spanish] I don't mean to tell you the scoreboard,
but it's dos a cero!
That's the score for the US team.
[commentator in English] Volume rising, hopes rising.
...as the United States one jarring blow to the chin of the oldest enemy of all.
On the road to redemption, the road to Qatar.
And it is dos a cero again.
[male presenter] In March 2022, Mexico will face the US again,
this time in Mexico.
The United States will seek to qualify for the World Cup for the first time
in the always challenging Azteca Stadium.
[fans chanting] Dos a cero!
[♪ soft guitar music playing ♪]
My name's Tony Lepore, I'm the director of Talent ID for US soccer.
[fans cheering]
[Lepore] In the US, we have some of the largest scouting events
globally, so you have scouts from so many other National Teams,
given the number of multi-nationals we have in the US.
I think right now, in our Youth National Team,
in that player pool, we have 60 to 70 players who are dual,
US-Mexico.
It's not a surprise that Mexico would now be looking here for players.
[crowd cheering]
We need to look for the best Mexican players
anywhere in the world.
People are moving places, that's a fact.
And Mexicans are moving to different places in the world,
so Mexican talent is developing in those places.
Our scouting division was set up three years ago.
We developed a strategy
in which there are scouts in different parts of the US.
Nowadays, the Mexican talent that's developing in the US
has been doing so for 15 or 20 years.
So much so that the US league is as strong as any other worldwide.
Players are often not Mexican, and neither are their parents,
but they have Mexican roots and ancestors,
and they have the legal right to become Mexican citizens.
But they have no real links to Mexico and they don't visit,
so it's not that simple. We want to showcase our soccer project,
and if it suits you on a sporting level, choose to play for Mexico.
I think it's a really hard thing to decide which country you want to represent.
Because it is such a complicated one.
And I think that's a reality of the Mexican-American relationship
for a long time.
The wish to defend a National Team's colors
is something every soccer player should be born with.
But that's not always the case.
Especially when we look at Mexican players born in the US, or vice versa.
There are interesting stories to look over.
The moment the Youth National Teams
started to become more and more competitive,
was the moment that Mexico started to realize,
"Hey, some of their more competitive players
happen to have a Mexican background. Although they're born in the US,
they have Mexican parents. We should go after them."
And the battle began.
[Wahl] I have a lot of sympathy for these young dual nationals
who are having to make these incredibly difficult decisions
about whether to play for the US or Mexico,
because they're getting pressure from every side.
Sometimes you're getting pressure from your own family.
Plus, you put in the fact that these are young kids.
There are lots of cases.
Some are born and raised in the US from Mexican parents,
and they end up choosing Mexico, or perhaps the US.
Who are we to judge those personal decisions?
We start using this lame, patriotic, nationalist discourse,
and we feel entitled to decide on other people's nationality.
[♪ soft guitar music playing ♪]
[Obed Vargas] I grew up with my parents in Alaska.
Living in Alaska is very unique.
Not many people can say they come from Alaska.
Nature in Alaska is something that a lot of people like to experience.
There are many activities there that involve nature.
My family was more into soccer, but I did have some great times
with my friends going to rivers or the mountains or going fishing.
[singing in Spanish] Kiss me.
I want to feel your lips kissing me again.
Gently, gently.
[woman] Kiss me! [woman 2] Kiss me.
You guys don't even know the song.
[laughing]
Soccer runs deep in the family, starting with my grandparents
On both sides, they played together in Mexico, they actually had a team.
My dad played, so he developed a deep love
for soccer, and when I was born, he passed that on to me
and all my siblings.
[Obed Vargas Sr.] We do miss Mexico. We do miss our family as well.
But definitely, for us, it's also Mexico, because that's where we come from.
We adopt Alaska as our home, but our heart is also in Mexico.
Absolutely.
I started instilling in them this connection to soccer
since they were young, probably since they started to walk.
I'd buy them balls and they started kicking them around.
[Obed Sr. in Spanish] Go, go, go! Take it!
When he was five or six years old, he started playing competitively.
And then he started liking it more and more.
And I could tell he liked soccer more and more every day,
because when he had practice, he was willing to go.
You didn't have to go running after him.
[Obed] But I knew that if I wanted to keep playing soccer,
I needed to get out of Alaska.
Obviously, it's not the best place to become pro.
[Brian Schmetzer] When we first had him in training,
at age 15, there were still days when I thought and said,
"Oh, he's still young.
He still needs to grow and mature, and how does he handle playing
with players that were double his age.
[commentator] Obed Vargas there.
The third youngest player ever after Freddy Adu and Alphonso Davies
to play an MLS game.
[♪ upbeat music playing in the background ♪]
[commentator] Important touch by Vargas, who's hurt himself in the process.
Couldn't welcome that ball coming straight back at him, but he's recovered.
[Marisol Vargas] I feel happy for him because...
it's his dream, what he wanted to do.
He's gonna follow his dream.
My heart is broken, but hey, you need to go.
[Obed] I had been playing with the Sounders
for five months at the most,
and I thought only in becoming the best player at Sounders.
So when I got the notification to play for the U-15 National Team for the US,
it was surreal, very... very unexpected,
because I wasn't really thinking about National Teams or anything like that.
But when I got the call, obviously it was joy.
[Obed Sr.] We didn't think he'd get called for the U-15 US Team.
Whenever we watched the US vs. Mexico matches,
we thought if he someday got to play pro, it'd be for Mexico.
[Obed] The first time I wore the United States crest,
I didn't wanna let it go,
and it's something you wanna keep and hold on to.
but it's something you have to earn every day.
And every single time I get to wear it,
it's something I honor very much and I have a deep love for.
So I never take that for granted.
[players mumbling indistinctly]
[Lepore] For US soccer, it's never any pressure, you know?
And it's always this empathy and understanding
about what it means to have a connection in your heart.
with two different National Teams.
Based on your family, based on your heritage.
And so we really respect that and empathize with the player.
And in the end, it's this connection that they feel in their heart
that will drive them in their decision.
[Efraín Álvarez] Go, go! [little girl giggling]
[cheering her]
Daddy!
Becoming a dad, just seeing my daughter grow up,
is another dream, you know? It's...
Seeing her achieve stuff is a dream for me.
It changes your way of looking at life, you know? It's...
Now it's everything for her.
You know, what do I do for she to have a better future?
[girl giggling]
[Efraín] Both of my parents are from Mexico.
I arrived here in the United States in 1979.
My mother and I came here because my dad was sick,
so we could both work to help him.
[Crescencio] Since he was seven or eight years old,
it was clear Efraín was very talented and was going to be an important person.
I, his father,
have always said God sent a big star for my son.
[commentator] It's a great chance for Álvarez!
Who has scored!
Efraín Álvarez, his first MLS goal.
My first call-up for the US Youth National Team
was when I was 13 years old.
And it was for their U-15 National Team.
I just remember I came back from school and I hear my dad talking with someone.
And then after, my father called me up and he's like, "Hey,
this guy's here for the Youth Mexico National Team."
And he invited me to a training camp that they had
I told my dad, no-brainer. I was like, "I want to go, Dad."
The next week, I was on a plane by myself to Mexico.
And I did the training camp,
and I loved it, and I told my dad, "Dad, I wanna stay here. I wanna switch.
I want to play for Mexico."
I mean, the reason I-- you could say I left the US is,
when I went to the Mexico National Team,
it was just a different atmosphere, that I'd been around my whole life.
You know, like, it was a Mexican culture type.
You know, the way the players carried themselves...
I felt it was more like a family, you know.
It was... It was just...
I felt more comfortable.
I felt at the right place.
[Sunil Gulati] The US-Mexico competition for talent is unique,
because we have split loyalties.
A lot of the decisions that are made by players around the world
certainly aren't along borders.
So you've got a very unique situation, whether it's the movement across borders,
whether it's the relationship between the two countries,
whether it's a parent of each country,
whether it's growing up in one country
and spending part of your career in the other.
All of those things make it very, very different
than any of the other situations around the world.
[Andrés Cantor] I believe choosing the allegiance of the National Team
that you will play for is a very personal matter.
Everyone has his own personal choice to make.
I wish it'd be that simple.
[Jason Kreis] Efraín Álvarez is a player
that the men's National Team program has a high level of interest in.
Craig has had very, very good communication
and constant, regular communication with Efraín,
about what his pathway would look like with the Men's National Team program.
[Crescencio] At one point, when both federations
started calling him, in an interview on TV
I asked both the Mexican and the US federations
to leave him alone, because they were traumatizing him.
If the US called him, I asked Mexico not to call him.
And if Mexico called him, I asked the US not to call him.
Because they were traumatizing him, it was driving him crazy.
Saying, "Where am I going?"
This is why.
[Efraín] I think a lot of reporters were talking crap.
That they don't need me, that good thing that I chose Mexico,
and blah blah, you know, but...
I mean, and then they... That's their job, you know.
To talk crap and to make news.
I don't really care about that. They could talk and I'm gonna keep working.
I'm going to keep proving my family and myself that I made the right decision.
I chose Mexico for a reason, and I'm gonna stay with Mexico.
[♪ suspenseful music playing ♪]
[female presenter] Mexico hosts the US in the first match
of the last set of World Cup qualifiers.
The US are looking for that fourth consecutive win
against Tata Martino's side. However, they have never won
a World Cup qualifier at the Azteca...
[Gregg Berhalter] We can't let our guard down.
Our record here is horrendous.
The odds are against us getting something out of this game.
We know that, we realize that.
[man] It's a very competitive team.
It's not going to be easy today, because they're also dying to win here.
I'm picking up a, very much so, a nervous energy
between fans, pundits, colleagues, people in or around
that aren't quite so convinced of the Mexican National Team.
The talk is it can't be four in a row. It cannot be four in a row.
The first three were in US soil. This can't happen in Estadio Azteca.
If it does happen a fourth time,
who leaves? What happens? A lot of nervous energy.
[♪ tense music playing ♪]
[Donovan] Making the trip down here,
I just had some time to reflect on all the times I've been to Mexico,
and specifically to Azteca,
but I've never witnessed this as a spectator and a fan.
And there can't be more on the line than there is tonight
for both teams.
I anticipate this will be one of the biggest sporting moments
of my life, even though I played in a lot of them.
They're different emotions, because...
when you're playing, you have some sense of control,
but now as a fan, I don't, and that gives me a lot of anxiety.
To watch your country play
and have the opportunity to beat its biggest rival in their stadium
and to get to witness that
could be truly, truly special.
[motorcycle honks blaring] [crowd yelling]
[Donovan] When you pull up to Azteca, the stadium itself
and the area around it seem so vast and big.
The closer you get, the more hostile it gets.
Right? And so, there are people outside the bus,
knowing that you're coming in,
and it is every form of intimidation they can try to hurl at you.
[in Spanish] Go team! Go Mexico, motherfuckers!
[♪ dramatic music playing ♪]
[commentator 1] The level of security back here is shocking.
- There's going to be 5,000 officers. [commentator 2] 5,000.
[commentator 1] There'll be lots of private security guards,
and beware, there'll be undercover officers.
People from the Mexican federation dressed in civilian clothes,
who you won't be able to recognize, and if they see you screaming,
they will point you out and you'll be kicked out of the stadium.
[honks blaring] [fans chanting] Mexico!
- Yeah. You alright? - Best team wins.
- Best team wins and... - 3-1, 3-1.
-We're the best team. -Ah, no! No!
Come on, bro. Dos a cero?
[♪ suspenseful music playing ♪]
[Berhalter] Think about this, guys.
No one remembers the second person to climb the Everest.
They remember the first person.
Because of the bravery and courage it took to forge that first impact.
You guys are ready to climb a mountain tonight?
[all mumble in agreement]
On three USA, boys, huh? One, two, three.
[all scream] USA!
[applauding]
[singing in Spanish] ♪ And may the Earth tremble at its core ♪
♪ At the resounding roar of the cannon ♪
♪ And may the Earth tremble at its core ♪
♪ At the resounding roar of the cannon ♪♪
[cheering and applause]
[commentator] And the ball rolls at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
[commentator in Spanish] With an applause for Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar,
the ball moves into the possession of the American team.
[commentator 1] Both Americans and Mexicans
looking to make a big step here.
[commentator 2] Berhalter was very brave with his strategy for marking Raúl.
Here comes the ball for Charly. Centering ball, a shot...
So close!
They got lucky there.
[commentator 2] Here comes Mexico with a good opportunity.
Here comes Herrera, centering ball...
It went wide.
Here comes Tecatito. Swinging centering ball...
Cleared by the defense.
Ricardo Pepi was there to help.
[commentator 1] Mexico continue to apply the pressure. It's Tecatito Corona.
Low, driven cross!
[screaming and gasping]
[commentator 1] Look out for Antonee Robinson.
Hits the cross...
Musah takes a shot! Sensational save by Ochoa!
Fuck me, what a save.
[commentator 1] ... in possession.
Meanwhile here's Timothy Weah, back across!
Ochoa, from point-blank, denies Christian Pulisic.
[commentator 2] Sensational! Ochoa saves the Mexican team again!
It'd be actually harder to miss.
[commentator 1] Acosta. He's playing Pulisic in.
It's Pulisic!
[commentator 2] Ochoa was fantastic! Superb!
He jumped in the air...
[commentator 2] Chucky, marked by Yedlin, goes inside and shoots!
[yelling nervously]
[commentator 1] Just could not get it to bend.
[commentator 2] Steffen comes out with Zimmerman to the front.
A mistake! This is good!
Raúl Alonso, Raúl Alonso, Raúl Alonso!
The referee?
Yes, he was ready to shoot! He was ready to shoot!
The referee, Mario Escobar, is not so sure.
- He went down early. Wow. [man on speaker] It's for Mexico!
[commentator 1] ...did well to find Acosta here. It's Kellyn Acosta.
Played it in for Gio Reyna, knocked down and Pefok!
[fans roaring and gasping]
[commentator 2] Oof! Oof! Oof!
Pefok had it! He had it there to convert the finish!
[man] Oh my God!
You know who finishes that? Pepi.
[commentator 2] Tecate to Raúl Alonso, this could be good!
[commentator 1] Lozano looking for the angle, Lozano!
[commentator 2] But Steffan, as always, saves it!
He saved this great, powerful shot!
[commentator 1] That's as good a look as Mexico have had.
[indistinct muttering]
[Donovan] How has there not been a goal in this game?
That is insane.
[commentator 2] A pass to the center... Ladies and gentlemen!
[cheering and applause]
[commentator 1] The final whistle.
A point apiece, goalless, but far from fruitless.
[Cindy Cone] The past year has been
such an exciting year to be a part of the Mexican-American rivalry.
Whereas before, I think, we would've been really excited
to tie Mexico at Azteca,
I think the guys walked away from the game
disappointed that they didn't win.
Which, that right there is a change in the mentality and the expectations
than what we've seen before, and I think that's super positive.
[commentator] The US did not look out of place or uncomfortable
at the legendary Azteca.
Mexico nil, United States nil, the final score.
Of course we want to beat the US, but they were showing
signs of humbleness.
They know they want to be better, but to be better they have to grow.
And to grow, you need to be humble enough to admit you're not the best.
[commentator in Spanish] This was a step forward, sure.
Martino's team has a long way to go.
But now we can assume if they work hard these next eight months,
they'll have better chances.
[♪ solemn music playing ♪]
USA.
[female presenter] United States of America
are competing in their 11th FIFA World Cup.
Mexico.
[female presenter] Mexico will feature
in their 17th FIFA World Cup.
[male presenter] Mexico, the US and Canada
submitted a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup,
despite political relations between them not being at their best
due to disagreements in trade and immigration.
So we have the winner
for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Member Associations of Canada, Mexico and USA
have been selected by the FIFA Congress
to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
[applause]
We want to jointly assemble, coordinate and host the World Cup.
Now as co-hosts,
it will still be true, in my opinion, that just as we produce together,
just as there's this rich cultural exchange,
soccer is going to be increasingly North American.
We'll be able to mix up, face each other and enrich soccer,
so we're better at the eyes of the world.
[chanting] The US, the US, the US, and that's the way we like it!
[Don Garber] This is a story about getting our region
to come together and, in essence,
be able to have the same significance,
the same importance, that UEFA has in Europe.
And you can't just hope for that, you've got to drive it,
you've got to engage it.
The World Cup being across all three countries is example number one.
[Cone] We're going to have to work together,
and we want to work together.
How do me make sure Canada, US and Mexico
are all united on literally changing the game forever
in our three countries?
And seeing the explosion that we're all gearing up for,
from a fandom standpoint, a participation standpoint,
investment, engagement.
[Whal] These days, we're seeing so many examples of cooperation
between the neighbors, United States and Mexico, especially through soccer.
The only concern I have is that it dulls the rivalry.
Because I hope that isn't the case.
I think this rivalry is one of the best things in sports.
[Alexi Lalas] Hosting a World Cup
and hosting this type of World Cup, with the magnitude...
This is a seminal moment, not just in soccer history in the US,
but in sports history in the US.
[Sánchez] I can't help thinking
that the 2026 World Cup
can help bring us even closer.
Not just in sports, but using soccer as a starting point
to create a North American community.
If a powerful European community could be created back then,
why not think that soccer and sports
can make our brother countries, the US, Canada and Mexico,
more united?
I think, once again, soccer has made a powerful statement.
Few things in this world
can bring together people, countries and societies
with different points of view with one common goal, which is soccer.
What does this mean?
Well, the ball flies above,
and there are no barriers that can stop the will of soccer.
[Donovan] Separating people based on geographic location makes no sense to me.
I wish we lived in a world, idealistically,
where there were no borders and people could just come and go as they pleased.
[Rafael Márquez] Ultimately, we've always seen the United States
as the place where the dream of a better life comes true.
But personally, I know that this dream can also be achieved here in Mexico,
and I have achieved it.
[Donovan] Things aren't black and white in life,
and there's lots of ways of looking at things.
We don't have to hate each other.
We don't.
[Márquez] For better or for worse, soccer will always
be a magnet to attract people. It’s the most watched sport in the world.
For me, obviously soccer is more than just soccer.
[Chicharito] I loved this thing between Mexico and the US
because unconsciously, indirectly,
we've helped them tremendously to grow, and they've done the same for us.
And that's why rivalries are cool, and that's what make them what they are.
It should only exist on the field, because outside of it,
we're neighbors and we should get along well.
[fans whistling and cheering in the background]
[♪ soft guitar music playing ♪]