The First Duel in the Desert

Some stadiums are remembered for the games they host. Others become part of the story themselves.

That is the case for State Farm Stadium when it comes to the rivalry between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Mexico. The venue situated in Glendale, Ariz., just northwest of downtown Phoenix, is set to host the Concacaf foes on Oct. 3 for the fourth edition of the “Duel in the Desert,” a battle that has been one to watch for nearly two decades.

The last USA-Mexico match in the arena was in 2023 when Jesús Ferreira’s goal in the 82nd minute rescued a draw for the Americans. Before that, it was Mexico that scored two second-half goals to come from behind and earn a 2-2 draw in 2014.

But nothing is more classic to the rivalry than a “Dos a Cero” scoreline, which was the result when the teams met for the first time in Glendale in front of 62,462 fans on Feb. 7, 2007.

That match came at a time when the tides were shifting in the rivalry. After winning just five of the first 41 meetings between the teams, the USA had gone 7W-2L-1D since the turn of the 21st century. El Tri was held scoreless in all but two of those matches – their two victories that both came in Mexico City.

The Americans were determined to keep their home shutout streak alive that night. Their defense looked composed and organized, but Mexico was equally difficult to break down, limiting the U.S. to just one shot in the first half.

On just its second corner kick of the match, the USMNT finally opened the scoring in the 52nd minute.

From the right corner flag, 24-year-old Landon Donovan curled his service into the box where defender Jimmy Conrad redirected it with a powerful header into the back of the net, leaving no chance for the diving Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez. It was the lone goal in the U.S. defender’s five-year international career.

Mexico nearly found an answer 15 minutes later. Lingering near the back post on another corner kick, striker Omar Bravo attempted to head the ball home from close range, but U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard caught it just before it crossed the goal line. Less than 30 seconds later, Bravo had another golden opportunity inside the box. This time, the forward found himself wide open but whiffed his shot under pressure from Howard.

Any hopes for a Mexico comeback disappeared as the clock ticked into stoppage time.

A costly turnover from the visitors at midfield left Donovan off to the races. The forward split two defenders inside the center circle and beelined towards goal with nothing but green grass ahead of him. Donovan looked to his right, feinting a cross to an unmarked Eddie Johnson making a run inside the box, just to take a touch around Sánchez and send the ball into an empty net to seal the 2-0 win.

The victory was the second for then-interim head coach Bob Bradley, who became the second manager in USMNT history to win his first two matches at the helm. It also set the stage for the teams’ next meeting later that year, when the USA defeated Mexico again in the 2007 Concacaf Gold Cup Final.

While much has changed in the last 19 years – new coaches, new players and plenty of wins and losses on both sides – the rivalry remains. Now, State Farm Stadium is ready to welcome the USMNT and Mexico once again, bringing the storied matchup back to Arizona for another desert duel.