US To Play World Cup Qualifier Against Mexico In Cincinnati

CHICAGO (AP) — The United States will play its home World Cup qualifier against Mexico in Cincinnati, ending a streak of five straight in Columbus, Ohio.

The U.S. Soccer Federation said Wednesday that the Nov. 12 match will be at TQL Stadium, the 26,000-capacity venue that opened in May as home of the city’s Major League Soccer team.

The U.S. beat Mexico in World Cup qualifiers at Columbus Crew Stadium in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013, all by 2-0 scores. The match against El Tri gained the nickname “Dos a Cero.”

It’s official: Cincinnati will be hosting USA vs. Mexico at TQL Stadium for a World Cup qualifier on November 12. Huge soccer event for the city. https://t.co/Pb0jCyYK8w

— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) July 28, 2021

Mexico beat the U.S. 2-1 in a 2016 qualifier in Columbus on an 89th-minute goal by Rafa Márquez, a key home defeat in the opening match of the hexagonal for 2018 qualifying as the U.S. streak of seven straight World Cups came to an end.

The U.S. plays its first home match of pandemic-delayed qualifying for the 2022 World Cup against Canada on Sept. 5 in Nashville, Tennessee, three days after opening at El Salvador and three days before playing at Honduras. The U.S. hosts Jamaica on Oct. 7 in Austin, Texas, ahead of a match at Panama three days later and a home game against Costa Rica on Oct. 13 whose site has not been announced.

The match against Mexico will be followed by a qualifier at Jamaica on Nov. 17.

The logistics of the opening qualifier already have been complicated by the decision of German television broadcasters to move the matches of Tyler Adams’ Leipzig and Josh Sargent’s Werder Bremen to Sunday, Aug. 29, which will delay their trans-Atlantic travel.