MEXICO CITY — Estadio Azteca rises like a concrete-and-steel citadel from the crowded, dusty boulevards of Mexico’s Santa Ursula neighborhood. For more than four decades that fortress has been nearly impenetrable, with the country’s national soccer team losing just two competitive matches inside its walls.
But it felt different during Thursday’s World Cup qualifier with the U.S., a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Gone was the fearsome, intimidating Azteca, where opponents’ World Cup dreams have long gone to die.
With a late-night kickoff, the sweltering weather that melted past invaders gave way to temperatures in the 60s and a slight breeze. And because of sanctions leveled over Mexican fans’ continued used of an anti-gay chant, more than half of the stadium’s 84,000 seats were vacant, leaving the upper deck mostly empty and quiet.
Where Azteca once roared, Thursday it emitted barely a whimper, leaving it to the PA announcer to repeatedly urge the fans to make noise.
In Mexico. During a World Cup qualifier.
But for all that had changed inside Azteca, one thing remained the same: the U.S. still hasn’t won a competitive game there after playing Mexico to the scoreless draw.
The result did run the Americans’ unbeaten streak against Mexico to four games, however, and left them second to Canada in the eight-team qualifying table, ahead of Mexico on goal differential and three points up on fourth-place Costa Rica (5-3-4) with two games remaining.
The top three teams in the CONCACAF tournament qualify for this fall’s World Cup in Qatar, and both the U.S. (6-2-4) and Mexico (6-2-4) can move a big step closer toward reserving their spots with victories Sunday, the Americans over Panama (5-4-3) in Orlando, Fla., and Mexico in Honduras (0-8-4).
