The most exciting Mexico vs. U.S. game since 2011 will take place this upcoming Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. On that occasion, Mexico won 4-2 and secured their place at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
Four years later, at the same historic stadium, a similar final-like sentiment will take over, as the two North American teams will decide the CONCACAF participant for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. As with most major games, the Rose Bowl will be at its full capacity, hosting close to 90,000 fans in what will be one of the most attended games in the country, according organizers.
This is the first time the winners of two different editions of the Gold Cup will face off looking for a spot at the Confederations Cup. For this game, CONCACAF has worked on properly allocating tickets so a mixed and even two-team fan crowd meets in LA, a city that usually serves as home for Mexico in terms of fan base.
The last time Mexico defeated the United States was in that 2011 Gold Cup Final. They have a 0-3-3 record since, including two games at the Azteca Stadium.
So will Klinnsmann continue his undefeated streak against the Mexican team (as a player and coach)?
Mexico is the current Gold Cup champion, but they won the tournament without convincing and with some help from the refs. If El Tri does win though, they will have a chance to redeem themselves from their embarrassing 2013 Confederations Cup participation, where they lost in the first round. If the U.S. wins, they’ll have their second go at making history at the tournament; the last time they played in 2009, they made it to the final but lost to Brazil in a nail-biting 2-3 game.