Welcome to the heart of the midwest and Mapfre Stadium: America’s Azteca.  In 2001, on a cold February night in Ohio’s capital, more than 24,000 fans packed what was then called Columbus Crew Stadium to witness the beginning of a new era for US soccer. Bruce Arena and the men’s national team were about to face Mexico in the final round of qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup. As kick-off neared, Mexican players were so fazed by the unforgiving temperatures that they decided to warm up inside their locker room. “It was a different climate than what we were used to,” said defender Alberto Macías after the match. “The way the people backed them surprised us, and the cold was tremendous.”  Mexican media labelled the match La Guerra Fría (The Cold War) and USA won 2-0, mainly thanks to forward Josh Wolff, who scored one goal and set up the other, earning him the man of the match award.  “It was brutally cold,” said Wolff after the game. “We had a fantastic crowd and there was a lot to play for. I think we were excited about the idea of playing in front of our fans on a nice cold night where we could take advantage of it.”  The win was the first for the US in a World Cup qualifier against Mexico since 1980. It was also a third successive victory for the US against their border rivals, a feat they had never achieved before in their history.  The victory was the culmination of a plan to combine fan support and a hostile climate and transform the stadium into a nominal home ground for the USA’s biggest matches. The team had already played Costa Rica in Columbus in October 2000, and despite the fact that the match ended 0-0, the atmosphere was electric. Once the 2002 World Cup qualifying schedule was set, Columbus Crew floated the idea of hosting the game against El Tri.  According to the New York Times, Jim Smith, the Crew’s general manager at the time, had put together a pitch on how they could sell out the stadium against Mexico in the middle of a Midwestern winter. It included a detailed strategy on ticket sales for several groups such as the American Outlaws, Crew season ticket holders and local soccer academies. The results ended up being a packed stadium for a crucial fixture, a victory and the start of a proud tradition.  This is the math that convinced Columbus it could host USA-MEX 16 years ago. The rest is history. https://t.co/hIi6AVoUOZ pic.twitter.com/0bLxgeh9xy  Since La Guerra Fría, the US has opted to stage every home World Cup qualifier against Mexico in Columbus. And the US have won each game 2-0, coining the famous term Dos a Cero. In fact, the US are undefeated against all opponents in Columbus, with seven wins and two draws. Jamaica are the only team to have scored against the US in Columbus.  America’s domination in Columbus is down to several reasons and it’s not as black and white as one may suspect. For one, when comparing it to the colossal Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the stadium’s current capacity of approximately 20,145 is not exactly intimidating – to put that into perspective, it’s the sixth smallest stadium in Major League Soccer.  Size, however, is irrelevant compared to the crowd’s energy.  The ground’s design allows supporters to be so close to the action, similar to an NHL game. In addition, sound travels much more effectively as the stadium is more compact than many others, so when a player enters the field they may get the feeling there are 100,000 as opposed to 20,000, introducing an inimitable intimidation factor.  A powerful energy also exists outside of the stadium: the ground is located at the edge of the city and nothing much surrounds it with the closest building being a Lowe’s home improvement store, so when you approach the ground in the evening, the stadium lights stand alone in the middle of darkness providing a great atmosphere. One particular Crew fan described walking up to the ground as a euphoric feeling, where supporters can feel the energy and get more excited as they walk towards the light.  There is also a demographic advantage as Columbus, in the heart of the Midwest, is nicely located for local home fans and terribly difficult for Mexican supporters to travel to, so matches at Columbus are largely dominated by the US crowd. According to 2010 US Census data, the city – with an approximate population of 850,000 – has a Hispanic population of approximately 5.6% and approximately 32,000 Mexican residents in the county. Despite the growth, it’s a small number compared to hosting cities that are closer to Mexico or with larger Mexican-American communities such as Pasadena’s Rose Bowl (2015 Concacaf Cup and 2011 Gold Cup Final) or New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium (2009 Gold Cup Final) – USA lost all three. Columbus, in the end, is a much harder place for Mexican fans to travel to.  .@christianh1412, @luisito_reyy10 and @twintrigger33 talking about tickets, #USAvsMEX and atmosphere in Columbus pic.twitter.com/pTjqLCBldn  The fact is, however, that US Soccer’s decision to host World Cup qualifiers at Columbus is no different than El Tri maximizing their chances and taking advantage of Mexico City’s heat and altitude.  In the end, the US know that in Columbus they have a city they can call home and a ground with a passionate fanbase and an electric atmosphere. On Friday, Mexico will enter the field knowing full well what’s in store for them: a fortress that relies on the support of the thousands who are ready to transform into the 12th man if need be.  For Juan Carlos Osorio, El Tri’s head coach, this will mark his first ever encounter against the United States. Still trying to shake off the memories from the 7-0 destruction against Chile during this past summer’s Copa América Centenario, the Colombian knows a win against their strongest rivals will go a long way in order to solidify the fans’ confidence in him.  As for Mapfre Stadium’s atmosphere? If it’s anything like Estadio Azteca, he knows what’s coming.
Luis Miguel Echegaray: The cold temperatures and hostile atmosphere have conspired to make Mapfre Stadium a house of horrors for Mexico