If you follow the game in this region at all, you'll know this by heart already. It'll make you glow with pride if you're a US fan. If you support El Tri, it'll represent a string of frustration you'd love to see snapped on Friday.
Mexico can win, and have won, all over the US. But they've never won in Columbus. Every time they've tried, the United states Men's National Team have sent them home on the end of a 2-0 loss.
Dos a cero.
Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart in 2001. Steve Ralston and DaMarcus Beasley in 2005. Michael Bradley twice in 2009. Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan in 2013. Clean sheets from Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, Tim Howard (twice) -- and guess who has just been named the first-choice goalkeeper again, going into this match?
THE CASE FOR THE USA
History only goes so far, and once the whistle blows for kickoff on Friday, a new chapter will have to be written. The Yanks have the ability to get it done, even though their recent history against Mexico in competitive matches hasn't been spectacular.
Even without Clint Dempsey, sidelined indefinitely with an irregular heartbeat, Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore are more than capable of delivering it -- Altidore with power and persistence and Wood with blistering pace and an engine that doesn't quit (and the experience of scoring against Mexico, even if that was in a losing effort in last year's Confederations Cup playoff match). Borussia Dortmund wunderkind Christian Pulisic won't be intimidated by the atmosphere, and he's also capable of finding the net -- or creating a perfect chance for someone else to do it.
Tim Howard will be back in goal on Friday. And while he is not as athletic as he once was, he's crafty with his positioning and his reflexes -- as he showed in saving two penalties on Sunday to help the Colorado Rapids reach the Western Conference Championship -- are still there.
THE CASE FOR MEXICO
This is a dangerous, experienced side -- only two players on Juan Carlos Osorio's 25-man preliminary roster have fewer than 10 caps for El Tri -- and they have something to prove.
With Osorio likely to run a three-man back line (in a 3-3-3-1 formation that clogs passing lanes in the middle but concedes space on the flanks), stopping the U.S. will largely be a matter of controlling the midfield and pressing for turnovers. That job might usually fall to Jonathan dos Santos (called up alongside brother Giovani, who is well familiar to MLS audiences), but he hasn't played for Mexico in a while.
If J. dos Santos doesn't start, Andres Guardado could drop back into a central midfield spot alongside Rafa Marquez, both of whom are adept at starting attacks out of their own end.
Mexico will look to create mismatches for Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez -- or perhaps Carlos Vela, competition for the lone striker spot being intense under Osorio's setup. If anyone in the US defense gets caught out of position, the visitors can punish them in a hurry.
ROSTERS
USA
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough/ENG), Ethan Horvath (Molde/NOR), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), William Yarbrough (Club Leon/MEX)
DEFENDERS (9): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin/GER), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana/MEX), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland/ENG), Julian Green (Bayern Munich/GER), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz/LIE), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen/GER), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER)
MEXICO
GOALKEEPERS (3): Guillermo Ochoa (Granada/Spain), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca/Mexico), Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul/Mexico)
DEFENDERS (8): Rafa Marquez (Atlas/Mexico), Nestor Araujo (Santos Laguna/Mexico), Diego Reyes (Espanyol/Spain), Hector Moreno (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands), Oswaldo Alanis (Chivas/Mexico), Hugo Ayala (Tigres/Mexico), Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina/Italy), Miguel Layun (Porto/Portugal)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Jonathan dos Santos (Villarreal/Spain), Orbelin Pineda (Chivas/Mexico), Jesus Dueñas (Tigres/Mexico), Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands), Hector Herrera (Porto/Portugal), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany)
FORWARDS (7): Raul Jimenez (Benfica/Portugal), Hirving Lozano (Pachuca/Mexico), Jesus Corona (Porto/Portugal), Jurgen Damm (Tigres/Mexico), Oribe Peralta (Club América/Mexico), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad/Spain)
