The USA and Mexico first met in 1934 during a one-game playoff in Rome for the right to take part in that year’s FIFA World Cup. Behind four goals from Aldo “Buff” Donelli, the USMNT defeated El Trí 4-2, but it would be the team’s last victory against its rivals for 46 years, with Mexico running up a 24-match unbeaten run against the USA until a shock 2-1 win in Fort Lauderdale in 1980.
Despite that win, the tide in the series didn’t really begin to turn until the early 1990s. A 2-0 upset of Mexico in the 1991 Gold Cup Semifinals started the trend. Four years later, during the second match of the 1995 Nike U.S. Cup, the USMNT absolutely throttled El Trí 4-0 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Having guided the USA to the Round of 16 at the 1994 FIFA World Cup just a year before, head coach Bora Milutinovic was back guiding Mexico and watched on as his former players Roy Wegerle, Thomas Dooley and John Harkes pushed the USA out to a 3-0 halftime lead.
Having played just once during Milutinovic’s U.S. tenure, goalkeeper Kasey Keller earned his first appearance in three years and made a number crucial second half saves to preserve the advantage.
Having set up two of the three first-half goals, 22-year-old Claudio Reyna also tallied on the other side of the break to give the USA a 4-0 win against Mexico, its largest margin of victory against its biggest rivals.
- U.S. Men’s National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Mexico
Date: June 18, 1995
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: RFK Stadium; Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 38,615
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 3 1 4
MEX 0 0 0
USA – Roy Wegerle (Claudio Reyna) 3rd minute
USA – Thomas Dooley (Claudio Reyna) 25
USA – John Harkes 36
USA – Claudio Reyna (Mike Burns) 68
Lineups:
USA: Kasey Keller, Mike Burns, Marcelo Balboa, Alexi Lalas, Paul Caligiuri, Thomas Dooley, Mike Sorber, John Harkes, Eric Wynalda (John Kerr 71'), Roy Wegerle (Cobi Jones 20'), Claudio Reyna (Tab Ramos 71')
Head Coach: Steve Sampson
MEX: Jorge Campos, Jorge Rodríguez (Missael Espinoza 68'), Guillermo Hernández (Gerardo Esquivel 46'), Manuel Vidrio, Ramón Ramírez, Ignacio Ambríz, Marcelino Bernal, Alberto García Aspe (Alberto Coyote 86'), Luis García, Carlos Hermosillo, Luis Robert Alves (Joaquín del Olmo 73')
Head Coach: Bora Milutinovic
Officials:
Referee: Victor Rodriguez Ugalde (Costa Rica)