New to jobs, U.S. and Mexico men's national team coaches understand big soccer rivalry
The rivalry takes center stage, regardless of whom is on the rosters, when the U.S. and Mexico renew one of the world's great soccer rivalries on April 19 at State Farm Stadium.
It's the first ever AllState Continental Clásico, a new annual event that will feature the U.S. men's national team hosting a top-tier opponent from North, Central or South America. It's clear organizers sought to create a big splash with the inaugural event, pitting two bitter rivals in a metro area with a large Mexican and Mexican American population that has traditionally turned out in the tens of thousands for any match involving Mexico, despite the game being on American soil.
Give U.S. Soccer and FMF, or Mexico's soccer federation, credit. They know the appetite for international soccer in the Phoenix area, and how big the crowds have been for the many "El Tri" games that have been played at State Farm Stadium in recent years. They also know that the U.S. has never lost a match to Mexico in Glendale, with a 2-0 win in 2007 and a 2-2 result in 2014.
"I think that the game is going to be tight. The game is going to be competitive, and the atmosphere is going to be great," said Anthony Hudson, who is leading the U.S. program while the federation looks for a permanent coach. "And we are focused on winning."
Recently, the U.S. has had the better of the rivalry. The Americans have a three-match winning streak in a rivalry dominated by Mexico through the 1990s that has seen the U.S. win most of the duels since 2000.
The last time Mexico defeated the U.S. was in a friendly, 3-0 in September 2019 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Since then, the U.S. has wins in the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League final in 2021, the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in Las Vegas in 2021 and a win and draw in the two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at home and away.
This month's match is a friendly, then the teams will meet again in June in Las Vegas for a semifinal of the 2023 Nations League. The 2023 Gold Cup is in June and July, and the two sides could conceivably meet again in the chase for that trophy.
"We understand that this rivalry with the United States is very important," recently hired Mexico head coach Diego Cocca said in Spanish during a video conference Tuesday. "It's huge that fans of Mexico want to win. So we look forward to the possibility of doing that against the U.S."
Cocca said he has spoken with more than 45 players who could be called in for the match against the U.S., and all are thrilled about the chance to be on the roster. He was also asked if there is pressure to defeat the U.S. given fan expectations and recent results for Mexico.
"I look forward to taking advantage of the opportunity, first as one chosen to lead this national team onto the pitch against a rival like the U.S., on their field, in front of many fans, many Mexican fans, too," Cocca said. "So with that, I'm very happy."
The date of the match in Glendale does not fall during a FIFA international competition window, or set of calendar days for matches between national teams. So Hudson said the U.S. roster will be heavily made up of Major League Soccer players, with the domestic league season under way, plus possibly a couple of players called into the squad that are allowed to play by their teams abroad.
"Probably the most important thing is that we balance the squad in the right way that we go into the Nations League and then the Gold Cup. And we balance the squad in a way that we have the opportunity to retain both titles," Hudson said. "This is a great game for us to prepare for that and looking at players with a view very clearly. This is an important game for everyone involved."
Cocca can draw players from Liga MX, Mexico's top domestic league, plus MLS where several Mexican national teamers play and Europe.
"For us we consider every Mexican player who is who's available to represent Mexico, so taking into consideration that it's not an official FIFA window there are a lot of options," Cocca said in Spanish. "Some in Liga MX, some in MLS, some in Europe. For us, we want to call the best players that we can understanding that because it's not an official FIFA window, some clubs may not release players. So we'll have to see who's available and who isn't and go from there."
Tickets are on sale now through SeatGeek and appear to only be available at face value in upper level sections at State Farm Stadium. The match starts just after 7 p.m. and can be seen on TBS (English), Telemundo and Universo (Spanish) as well as streamed on HBO Max and Peacock.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What rosters might look like for U.S.-Mexico soccer in Glendale April 19
