It’s here.
Nobody’s ever quite ready for the Mexico-U.S. World Cup qualifying matches. Outside competitive tournaments, the home-and-away fixture in the final CONCACAF qualifying round is inevitably the biggest day on the calendar in the entire of every cycle. And as much as fans and players anticipate the occasion, it always seems to be a bigger thing than you imagine.
Friday’s meeting between the two in Columbus is a momentous occasion simply because it’s a Mexico-U.S. game, but it’s actually about as forgiving a meeting as these two have ever played in the Hexagonal. Friday marks the first game of the qualifying round, meaning both teams have nine more games to right the ship if things don’t go well in Columbus.