U.S., Mexico to meet in World Cup qualifier

CINCINNATI — In choosing new TQL Stadium for Friday night’s World Cup qualifier against Mexico, the U.S. Soccer Federation selected a city with a 3% Hispanic population in a state that ranks 42nd among the 50 in that demographic.

“When you’re talking about a World Cup qualifier, it’s really important to have a proU.S. crowd, and whether that’s Latinos in the stands or not, we want a pro-U.S. crowd,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “And it’s not always easy to ensure it. I think we learned from mistakes in the past.”

Berhalter, a U.S. defender from 1994-2006, recalled playing against Honduras and Guatemala at Washington’s RFK Stadium when the visitors had majority support. In 2017, partisans were mixed for the U.S. and Costa Rica at a World Cup qualifier at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, won by the Ticos 2-0 and contributing to the Americans’ failure to reach the World Cup.

Ninth-ranked Mexico leads North and Central America and the Caribbean with 14 points and the No. 13 U.S. is second with 11 points heading into Friday’s game, which marks the halfway point of qualifying.

With Berhalter as coach, the U.S. has drawn three overwhelmingly pro-American crowds. It opened in an NFL venue in September, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, and drew 43,028 for a 1-1 draw against Canada.

The next three home matches were set for new Major League Soccer homes, where smaller ticket allotments facilitate targeted distribution to season-ticket holders and supporters. A 2-0 win over Jamaica drew 20,500 last month to Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica was seen by 20,165 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. The match against Mexico is in 26,000-capacity venue that opened in May.

“We want the stadium to be loud, and we want the atmosphere to be hectic,” Berhalter said.

Used to frenetic fans at their club matches in Europe and the U.S., America players appreciate fervid backing.

“The fan bases help us so much. They give us sometimes that extra motivation, that extra push that we need in the toughest part of the game,” said midfielder Tyler Adams, among the American leaders. “Relying on the crowd for energy sometimes is something that you need.”

The U.S. Soccer Federation said president Cindy Parlow Cone and chief executive officer Will Wilson were in meetings Thursday and were not available for comment on site selection.

Columbus’ old Crew Stadium was the site of the previous five U.S.Mexico qualifiers from 2001-17. The first four were the string of “Dos a Cero” U.S. wins followed by a 2-1 defeat in November 2016 that began the American downfall.

“For us, it’s just about understanding what competition we’re in and trying to get a crowd that’s going to push us and get behind us and really helps this team be successful,” Berhalter said. “It’s not about what nationality you are or what demographic you’re in.”

The U.S. has played Mexico twice this year, winning 3-2 in the CONCACAF Nations League final at Denver in June on Christian Pulisic’s 114th-minute penalty kick. With a roster of mostly backups, the Americans defeated El Tri 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Las Vegas on Aug. 1 behind Miles Robinson’s 117th minute goal.

“I don’t take losses as something personal,” Mexico coach Tata Martino said.