It is this history that makes these games so special, and have fans on both sides of the border counting the days, months and years until the next meeting.
Unfortunately for those fans, and for both national teams, they may have to wait much longer for those matches than they could have ever expected.
CONCACAF is set to dramatically change its World Cup qualifying process, a move that will mean more games and more opportunities for the smaller teams in the region, but a move that will effectively cripple the region’s best rivalry.
Under the new format, which is awaiting approval from FIFA, CONCACAF would do away with the six-team, ‘Hexagonal’ format in the final round of World Cup qualifying, replacing it with a two groups of four. The winner of each of the two groups would automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the second-place finishers would play off for the third qualifying spot (with the loser eligible for the remaining half spot, assuming CONCACAF keeps it).
The big issue with this format is that, barring a seeding catastrophe, the United States would be unlikely to be placed in a final round group with Mexico. In fact, even though there would be an extra group stage added to the new CONCACAF format (teams would go through three group stages of four-team groups), Mexico and the United States would almost certainly be kept away from each other.
The change is a disaster for the United States and Mexico, the two clear-cut strongest teams in the region. Their rivalry has transcended the region, and their qualifying meetings have all proven to be intensely competitive (not to mention big money-makers).
In theory, the new format could help mid-level teams such as Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Canada if the CONCACAF process to seed the group stages is improved. Under the old format, CONCACAF allowed a brutal second-round group of Mexico, Honduras, Canada and Jamaica to be drawn together. Those are four teams all worthy of reaching the final round of qualifying.
Honduras and Mexico ultimately survived that brutal group, while Jamaica barely lost out to Mexico for a place in the final round. As for Canada? Canada finished as arguably the best fourth-place group finisher in CONCACAF history. All while El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago were gift-wrapped easy paths to the final round of qualifying before predictably finishing at the bottom of the Hexagonal standings.
The new format should make it easier for CONCACAF to avoid putting together unbalanced qualifying groups, and could also allow more teams a realistic chance of grabbing a World Cup qualifying berth, but it is doing so at the cost of the region’s best rivalry.
That may be a price CONCACAF is willing to pay, but it is one that leaves American fans and Mexican fans as the biggest losers in 2014 World Cup qualifying before a single ball has been kicked.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the U.S. national team and Major League Soccer.
