MEXICO CITY -- As you drive down the Avenida del Iman, Estadio Azteca looms on the horizon. From afar, it looks like a hulking birthday cake was plopped down in the Santa Ursula neighborhood of Mexico City. As you get closer, the concrete supports look like the collective arms of Mexico supporters, pushing up on the venue's rim and out of the ground. Once inside, the stands -- despite their immense size -- give off a claustrophobic feel, and that's without any fans present.
On Thursday, the Azteca -- which has hosted two World Cup finals, in 1970 and 1986 -- will welcome the latest incarnation of the Clasico between Mexico and the United States men's national teams in a 2022 World Cup qualifier.