There are many cities in the United States that claim to be the "home" for soccer. For starters, Portland calls itself "Soccer City U.S.A." Washington, D.C., has held its share of memorable matches at the soon-to-be-demolished RFK Stadium, while fans in Seattle; Kansas City, Missouri; and elsewhere have done their bit to evolve the sport's fan culture.
It's difficult to argue with Columbus, Ohio, when you think of the U.S. men’s national team's spiritual home.
In Ohio, the USMNT has played 12 matches. Ten of those were World Cup qualifiers. No city has seen more qualifying wins than Columbus, with five against bitter rivals Mexico. Yes, those matches against El Tri were the catalyst for the creation of "Dos a Cero," a fixture that had the uncanny ability to score 2-0 goals in favor of the U.S. Some of the most memorable moments in American soccer history were witnessed along the way.
Wednesday will see Columbus host another World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica at the newly-minted Lower.com Field. Coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN2). Adopted son Frankie Hejduk's passion for the sport began slowly but is now a full-fledged flame.
The former Columbus Crew player and U.S. international defender stated that it was his dream to turn Columbus into a soccer city. I knew it was a college football town. "Let's make it a soccer city," I thought. With the players now having what they need, the stadium downtown, and the buzz of the things, I feel happy. We will hopefully get another win here in Columbus.
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"The catalyst was to win this game"
The seemingly impossible problem of how World Cup qualifiers ended in Columbus was to do with the following: How to create home-field advantage in a country that expats tend to outnumber (or at least shout down) U.S. fans. The late 1990s saw a new fan culture. Sam's Army was a precursor of the American Outlaws and was only 6 years old. MLS was only five years old.
This reality was further reinforced by the 1997 World Cup qualifier between Mexico and the U.S. at Foxboro Stadium just outside Boston. Although the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) received a substantial payday with a record attendance of 57.407, opinions differ on the breakdown of support. The USSF director for events Paul Marstellar put the figure at 75-25 to favor the U.S., but Sunil Gulati, then USSF vice president, said it was closer to 50-50. Although the match ended at 2-2, there was no doubt which team received more support.
It was a completely different atmosphere. It was a bit more relaxed," Monty Rodrigues (46), a Nashua, New Hampshire financial analyst who attended both the Foxborough match and later in Columbus. "The Sam's Army section was clearly loud and proud. You could see the rest of the stadium and there were some that cared but it was mostly, "Hey, cool! It's a World Cup qualifier!"
Bruce Arena, then-manager of the USSF, had a new focus when it came to selecting a venue for the 2001 qualifying event.
Arena said dryly that "the catalyst was to win the game." "U.S. Soccer wanted the game to be played in L.A. Coliseum because they would get 90,000 spectators, and they get an obvious financial boost. They were convinced that Mexico had to be the priority.
Crew Stadium has been the site of some of the USMNT’s greatest successes over the past 20 years. This includes clinching a spot at the 2014 World Cup. Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Arena said that it took some time to convince the authorities to seek out other options. Gulati recalls how he had long tried to convince his counterparts at Mexico's Football Federation (FMF), offering Mexico a home game at Los Angeles. It would be at sea level, far from the smog and lung-searing altitude of the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. He was right to suspect that the FMF did not accept his offer. The USSF quickly narrowed its focus on Crew Stadium.
It was the only soccer-specific venue in the country at the time and had hosted a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica in previous rounds. The USSF could have tighter control over ticket sales because of the large capacity (24 624 at the time). Additionally, the USSF's location in America's heartland made attendance more difficult for Mexican fans. It didn't help that the game was scheduled for February.
Gulati stated, "With a large stadium, resale, and all other things it was impossible to have a home-field advantage." We learned this lesson in Boston. That became Columbus. We could then go to Crew season ticket-holders, and so on, to try and get a pro-U.S. crowd. You could probably say that having the temperature drop was a bonus.
It seemed that the relative scarcity of tickets had the desired effect. Gulati recalls how Hugo Kiese, an FMF executive, complained that he couldn’t get tickets to the match. I told him that there was no problem. "I can get you tickets, but you're going feel very alone in these stands.
"It was crazy"
Some fans sensed that something special was about to happen before the game. Arena had restructured the team and was starting to produce some results. Sam Pierron, a 46 year-old IT consultant from Kansas City was setting up banners at Crew Stadium for Sam’s Army the night before. Although he'd been to many qualifiers, the atmosphere before this match was quite different.
He recalled that there was "some serious anticipation." It was unlike anything we have ever felt.
Rodrigues said, "There was almost an air of cockiness among U.S. fan. It was one of those games that you felt like something was happening before the game even started. It was a young, talented team. There was excitement building in the supporters' section. We just sort of went along with it."
It was one of the most memorable matches in U.S. men’s history. The temperatures in Mexico were below freezing and Mexico did not even come out for warm-ups before the match, giving the U.S. an enormous psychological advantage.
Hejduk, a substitute for Hejduk that day, said "That was the coldest soccer game I've ever attended." We knew they were going to win because they weren't there for warm-ups. They were already a little distracted psychologically.
But the match did not go the U.S.'s way. After a collision with Rafa Marquez, Mexico's defender, Brian McBride was sent off in the 15th minute. This left the U.S. with an injured eye. Claudio Reyna, the U.S.'s two most important attackers, was forced to leave just before halftime due to a groin injury. Despite these setbacks, the U.S. was able to keep going, providing exactly the home-field advantage Arena & Co. wanted.
Kristina Balevska (now 37) is a Columbus native. She was a junior at high school and had been to the 1994 World Cup with her family seven year earlier. Despite the cold, the crowd on that night was unlike anything she'd ever seen.
Play 1:04 Berhalter explains the decision to rotate players after USMNT's defeat Gregg Berhalter shares his thoughts on starting a substantially rotated lineup against Panama.
She recalled, "I turned to dad and said, ‘This is insane.’" "No one was seated in their chairs. No one. Everyone was up and about. It was basically elbow to elbow. Every time we got possession, the crowd cheered and screamed.
Just after the half-time break, McBride and Reyna's replacements Josh Wolff, and Clint Mathis, joined forces to score the first U.S. soccer goal. Wolff raced onto Mathis’ through-ball, beating Jorge Campos, the Mexican keeper, and scoring into an empty net.
Balevska was shortly after receiving her first beer shower. However, there were also other signs of a growing U.S. fandom.
She said, "I looked down at the row where they were, and saw this grown man crying because he had just scored." After Wolff's stellar work on the wing, Earnie Stewart secured the win with three minutes remaining. "Dos a Cero" was born and Columbus was the center of it.
Hejduk stated, "All of the sudden, you're listening to that crowd, man. It's like more than ever. More than any stadium we played Mexico in." It feels good to be a player. You get energy from the crowd, and now it's your turn. It was the first time that Crew Stadium had given us this energy and aura.
It also made a positive impression on Columbusians, converting new soccer fans. Balevska said, "It opened up the eyes to our city like, ‘Hey, there is a legit soccer town here.’" We might be hidden in Midwest, but it put our city on the map."
It's not a pipedream
The U.S. got off to a great start in qualifying with the 2-0 victory. It was an inspiring moment that resonated through the years for all who saw it live or watched it on TV. Josh Williams, Columbus Crew defender, made the trip that night from Copley Township near Akron. The game opened Williams' eyes to the possibilities of the sport.
He said, "That match was what made it possible for me to fall in love with American football, really fall in love with it." "I had always supported it but I didn't experience that until that match. That's when I felt the romance side of things began to emerge and I was hooked ever since."
Pierron was one of the most passionate soccer fans, having played the game for many years. Soccer was always viewed as the sport of tomorrow, but it has been disappointingly degraded. Those hopes became clearer. They were possible. It was possible to achieve everything you had hoped for. Pierron stated that this was how the night felt in many ways. "Everything that you have always hoped U.S. soccer culture could become... it is not a pipedream."
The seed was not the only one that had been planted for supporters' culture. There have been many other seeds scattered across the country at various times. However, the Columbus offshoot proved to be more fertile than others, continuing to germinate every year.
After that cold night, there was a lot of momentum to continue drinking at the Crew Stadium. In reality, the USSF didn't have many options for venues in subsequent years. The Dignity Health Sports Park was opened in 2003. A few years later, the Toyota Stadium in Frisco (Texas) was constructed. However, Columbus was unable to compete with Mexico and the U.S. in order to create a home-field advantage.
On Wednesday, the USMNT will be back in Columbus to play at Lower.com Field. Doral Chenoweth/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Gulati stated, "Then it is easy." "I can recall saying that I was certain that we would lose in Columbus at some point. But, I won't be the one who makes that decision."
It was no surprise that the USMNT's legend of Columbus and Crew Stadium grew as they played in the World Cup rounds. In 2005, Jared Borgetti, Mexico's striker, was subject to the Oguchi Onyewu staredown. In 2009, there was a windstorm that created dangerous conditions but it wasn't enough to stop Michael Bradley scoring both goals. Hejduk yelled "F--- yeah!" after Bradley's second goal. Hejduk yelled "F--- yeah!" right in front the Mexico bench. This earned him a slap from Paco Ramirez, the Mexico assistant. Hejduk was not bothered by it.
It was funny. We were happy. We were happy. It was more funny because I went out that night and had a lot of beers, which made it even more fun.
The U.S. received word in 2013 that it had been selected for the 2014 World Cup. This led to champagne celebrations on the field. The Crew Stadium mojo was only temporary and ended in 2016. Mexico won the match 2-1 with Marquez, an old villain.
The USSF was able to add venues as more MLS stadiums were constructed. Next month's match against Mexico will be played at Cincinnati's TQL Arena. The stadium's capacity of 26,000 is approximately 6,000 less than Lower.com Field. In this sense, the USSF has the best of both: a smaller stadium but enough control to manage most of the ticketing.
Play 1:14 Moreno warns USMNT fans against Pepi-mania Alejandro Moreno urges USMNT supporters to not get too carried away by Ricardo Pepi’s impressive performance.
All of this does not diminish the legend that is Columbus or the games played there. Ohio has seven Ohioans, including Brad Friedel (the goalkeeper in that 2001 game), who continue to contribute to the U.S. Men's National Team. The Save The Crew movement helped to foster a love for the game in the area, but it is the national team games that will remain etched in our collective memories.
David Wright, chief commercial officer of the USSF, stated that Columbus is an amazing market and has hosted many memorable USSF matches in its history. "With a world-class stadium, passionate fans, and a great venue, we couldn’t be more excited about returning."
Will the USSF continue to qualify the city for the World Cup? While history is important, the city has more options and will need to prove its worth again. The match against Costa Rica on Wednesday is certainly a test.
Williams stated that "I think Columbus still gets a bit of the shortend of the stick because of how passionate some people are and how much they care for soccer." There are clothing lines all over the city that feature the 'Dos a Cero t-shirts. Because of these games, everyone around Columbus knows the scoreline.
Crew Stadium remains standing. The Crew has made the site their training facility. It has been replaced with the shiny new Lower.com Field for game day. This has received rave reviews from both players and coaches. In the wake of Sunday’s shocking 1-0 loss to Panama on the road, there is hope that some new memories will be written into USMNT's history.
Hejduk stated, "It was an enjoyable ride and now we just have to start over, dude." "You have these qualifiers coming here and in Cincy. Ohio loves soccer, and it's a great thing to watch.
It has been loved by the USMNT back.
