Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium has taken its place in U.S. men’s national soccer team lore as the latest venue to stage a “dos a cero” victory.
The Spanish phrase, which translates to “2-0,” was made famous in American soccer circles this century.
It’s a taunt at Mexico, and a rallying cry against their national team, that was born of multiple 2-0 wins against “El Tri” in World Cup qualifying matches played on U.S. soil once every four years.
TQL Stadium served as the frenzied, colorful stage on Friday for a 2-0 qualifying victory for the USMNT over Mexico before a raucous crowd of 26,000.
Christian Pulisic, of English Premier League side Chelsea FC, scored the eventual game-winner in the 74th minute.
Weston McKennie, of Italian super-club Juventus, added the second tally in the 85th minute to condemn Mexico to the two-goal deficit that has so haunted it over the years.
The victory allowed the USMNT (4-1-2, 14 points) to move into first place atop an eight-nation group from which the top three teams will advance to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “The second half is where we started to pull away,” U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “
Particularly in the first 20 minutes of the second half… That’s the effect that we have on opponents when we can press them and we can be that aggressive around the ball and with the ball, turning them around, making them face their own goal, we can make it really challenging.
—Agencies
