With the United States and Mexico looking ahead to for their international friendly in Nashville, Tenn. Sept. 11, FrontRowSoccer.com is looking back at some of the most memorable matches between these two archrivals. Today, we look back at a World Cup qualifier in 1960.
Ironically, it took playing in a baseball stadium for the United States to finally earn a point against rival Mexico in World Cup qualifying.
In the Americans’ second home game in the series and 12th overall, they played El Tri to a wild, 3-3 draw in a World Cup qualifier at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, Calif. on Nov. 6, 1960 (qualifying for the 1962 World Cup in Chile).
The Los Angeles Angels, incidentally, wound up using the field when they entered the American League as an expansion team in 1961.
It was an uphill battle all the way for the host team as the Mexicans rolled to a 3-0 first-half lead before 8,000 spectators.
Sigifredo Mercado gave the visitors a 1-0 edge before Salvador Reyes added two more before the Americans discovered themselves.
First, Helmut Bicek converted a penalty kick late in the opening half to give the USA some hope. Then Carl Fister headed home a corner kick to cut the margin to 3-2 in the 76th minute.
With only five minutes remaining in regulation, Al Zerhusen outraced Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal to a loose and tallied to knot it up at 3-3.
In the return leg of the series exactly a week, the USA did not fare well in a city in which it historically struggled. The red, white and blue dropped a 3-0 decision to Mexico at Estadio Olympico in Mexico City as El Tri showed the Americans the door again form wCQ.
They would have to wait another four years in their World Cup quest.
