On This Day in 1997, Calamity Tells the Tale in a World Cup Qualifying Draw Against Mexico
Just four days before a pivotal World Cup qualifier against Mexico, U.S. defender Alexi Lalas made a bold declaration to the media. "This will definitely be the first time that I have ever played against Mexico where the crowd will be American," he said, explaining the strategic decision to hold the match at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts—as far from the Mexican border as feasible.
The gamble proved wise and necessary in what would become one of U.S. soccer's most bizarre and dramatic qualifiers.
As the United States entered the April 20 qualifier against Mexico, tensions between the North American rivals were at an all-time high. Though Mexico historically dominated the matchup with a lopsided 28-7-9 overall advantage, the Americans had shown signs of closing the gap, going 3-2-4 in their previous nine encounters.
The rivalry had intensified significantly over recent years. During a 2-2 tie the previous June, Sampson and Mexican coach Bora Milutinovic—the former U.S. coach—went toe-to-toe on the sidelines after U.S. forward Eric Wynalda was injured on a foul. More recently, a January exhibition match at U.S. Cup '97 saw players from both teams pushing and shoving after Mexican defender Alberto Garcia Apse committed a hard foul on Cobi Jones.
Wynalda, the U.S. team's all-time leading goal scorer, reportedly told Soccer America magazine, "When you look at us and Mexico, I have no problem with saying I hate them. I hate and love to play them." Though he would later claim his words were taken out of context, the sentiment reflected the burgeoning intensity between the neighboring nations.
The qualifier came at a critical juncture for the Americans. Mexico, at 2-0-1, led the six-team CONCACAF final qualifying group with six points, followed by Guatemala (1-0-1) with four points and the United States (1-1-1) with three. Only the top three finishers would secure automatic qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France.
The U.S. team was still stinging from a disappointing 3-2 loss to Costa Rica in their previous qualifier, a match that had dented their confidence and raised questions about their defensive stability. Meanwhile, Mexico was riding high after demolishing Jamaica 6-0, a team the Americans had only managed to draw 0-0 in Kingston.
As the sellout crowd of 57,877 filled Foxboro Stadium—the largest ever to watch a World Cup qualifying match in the United States—American soccer finally experienced what other nations had long taken for granted: passionate home support. The boisterous contingent from "Sam's Army," the two-year-old U.S. soccer fan club that had grown to 4,000 members, led the cheers, songs, and patriotic displays.
"It's frustrating playing a home game that feels like it's away," U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller had lamented before the match, referencing previous encounters where Mexican fans had dominated American venues. But this April Sunday in Massachusetts, American voices would finally be heard over the salsa rhythms blasting from Mexican supporters' boom boxes.
The patriotic energy at Foxboro quickly turned to stunned silence just 39 seconds into the match when disaster struck for the Americans in the most improbable fashion. After receiving a routine back pass from Lalas, Keller—who had just earned plaudits for helping his English club Leicester City win the League Cup final against Middlesbrough—took too long to clear the ball. Mexican striker Carlos Hermosillo charged forward, pressuring Keller's clearance attempt.
The American goalkeeper hammered his punt directly into Hermosillo's forehead at close range. The ball rebounded high over Keller's desperate reach and dribbled into the net, stunning the partisan crowd and giving Mexico an immediate 1-0 lead.
"It's nice, as a goalkeeper, to make a mistake and not lose," Keller would later say, taking responsibility for the play. "That kind of thing will not happen 100 out of 100 times. I take the blame for it. Obviously, it was a mistake."
"That was not the ideal way to start a match," Sampson understated afterward. "But we know what kind of a class goalkeeper Kasey Keller is, and even the best make mistakes. That took the wind out of our sails."
Visibly rattled, the Americans looked tentative for much of the first half-hour. The crowd's nervous energy matched the team's uncertain play as Mexico nearly doubled their advantage in the 10th minute when Luis Hernandez broke through on a counterattack but shot wide. Gradually, the U.S. regained its composure and confidence. In the 35th minute, defender Eddie Pope finished off a loose ball at the far post after a free kick to equalize, sending the Foxboro crowd into a raucous celebration and rewarding the Americans' improved possession play in midfield.
"You kind of regroup and shake it off," Pope said later of the team's response to the early goal. "It wasn't like, 'Oh my gosh, here we go.' Everyone knew we had to regroup. There was a whole lot of time left in the game."
The hard-fought balance wouldn't last long. Mexico regained the lead in the 54th minute when Hernandez slipped past an American offside trap, beat Jeff Agoos and Lalas, and helped the ball over an advancing Keller to make it 2-1. The Mexicans packed their defense, appearing capable of holding their advantage until a dramatic turn of events altered the match's complexion. With 21 minutes remaining, Hernandez was shown a red card after tripping Lalas—a booking Sampson would later claim was unwarranted.
With a man advantage, the Americans pressed forward with renewed vigor. Sampson introduced his "fleet Bundesliga reserves," forward David Wagner and midfielder Michael Mason, to inject pace into the attack. But it would be another bizarre play—a fitting bookend to Keller's early gaffe—that brought the Americans level.
In the 74th minute, Ernie Stewart lifted a cross from the left flank toward Thomas Dooley, who attempted to flick a header toward teammate John Harkes. Mexican substitute Nicolas Ramirez intervened and tried to head the ball back toward his goalkeeper, Adolfo Rios. Instead, Ramirez inadvertently directed the ball into his own net, making the score 2-2.
The frantic final minutes saw the Americans press their numerical advantage. Wagner just missed on a volley in the 81st minute. Harkes nearly secured victory with a rebound shot from the top of the penalty area in the closing moments, only to have Mexican substitute Joaquin Del Almo heroically head the ball away.
The 2-2 draw gave both teams a point in the CONCACAF standings. With six matches to play, the United States (1-1-2) trailed first-place Mexico (2-0-2) by three points but maintained a one-point lead over third-place Costa Rica (1-0-1).
"There's such a clear difference in ability between the top three teams and the other three teams that I wasn't worried about today's result," said U.S. Soccer Federation President Alan Rothenberg. "The important thing was the kind of effort we showed."
Though disappointed not to secure all three points at home, the Americans viewed the result with measured optimism. Their qualifying path would now feature just one match—a June 29 trip to El Salvador—before a critical September stretch. They anticipated winning that contest and subsequent home matches against Jamaica and El Salvador, with the September 7 game against Costa Rica in Portland, Oregon, representing their most significant remaining challenge.
"We are disappointed, but you have to keep this in perspective," U.S. captain Harkes said. "There are still a lot of games to play before '98. We played very well, but we have to do better next game."
Beyond the immediate qualifying implications, the match represented a significant milestone in American soccer's evolution. The record crowd, the passionate home support, and the team's resilient performance all pointed to a maturing soccer culture.
"It made a difference having a pro-American crowd," Sampson said. "Crowd support is equal to at least one goal a game. Today, you could finally see something that could grow here."
While qualifying for France '98 remained the immediate objective, the broader story was clear: American soccer had reached a point where not just participation, but success on the international stage was becoming the new standard.