In net for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifier between the United States and Mexico at Crew Stadium, former Crew and U.S. National Team goalkeeper Brad Friedel reflects on the first Dos a Cero.
"That day was great for a lot of reasons. For myself, personally, I obviously used to play for the Crew for one. Two, I'm an Ohio native. And three, we got the result, 2-0, against Mexico and that started a wave of games where the U.S. National Team keeps winning when they play at Crew Stadium. That's one of the reasons the city keeps getting big World Cup Qualifiers and also the people of Columbus and surrounding areas, they fill the stadium and create a tremendous atmosphere for all the players to play in front of. I know the Mexican team doesn't like playing here, that's for sure. Long may the winning streak continue.
[The pro-American] crowd is really important. Long gone should be the days where we play World Cup Qualifiers against teams where it seems like an away game in the United States. It's a special occasion whenever you can play for your National Team, and on top of that, if you can have a pro-United States crowd against Mexico and beat them, with the rivalry we have it's a great feeling."
