U.S. vs Mexico in Columbus

USA Soccer announced today the opening match of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying between the United States and Mexico will be played at Crew Stadium on Feb. 11.

This marks the third consecutive time in final round qualifying for the FIFA World Cup U.S. Soccer has selected Columbus Crew Stadium to host the home leg between the United States and Mexico. The U.S. national team has won both preview qualifiers at Crew Stadium, in 2001 and 2005, by identical 2-0 score lines.

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“We are very excited about returning to Columbus,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who guided the U.S. to a 7-1-0 record through the first two rounds of FIFA World Cup qualifying. “The national team has enjoyed a great history there, and the team has always appreciated the fantastic support from the fans. We are looking forward to an incredible atmosphere as we continue the difficult task of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.”

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The new stadium in Salt Lake was rumored to the venue for this first game, but US Soccer went with a proven home field advantage. I expect Salt Lake will get one of the other home qualifies this summer.

Ticket details for the U.S. vs Mexico in Columbus will be announced in the near future.