The longstanding history between the United States and Mexico | OneFootball

The USMNT and La Seleccion Mexicana both won their respective matches during the semifinals of the Nations League earlier this week, progressing to the final against each other on 6 June.

The United States managed a scrappy last-minute victory with an unexpected goal by young player Jordan Siebatcheu, while Mexico failed to secure the victory within the 90 minutes of the match, forcing a penalty shootout to win 5-4.

The final will be the 71st time the two national teams meet on the pitch since their inaugural face off in 1934. Mexico leads with 36 wins, 15 draws and 19 losses, dominating much of the time, but over the last 15 years the United States men’s national team has strived to shorten the gap.

In 1991, the U.S. finally defeated El Tricolor on a world stage, triumphing 2-0 in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal. The victory ended up propelling the USMNT to their first ever Gold Cup title. But the team’s superiority did not last long.

Two years later, in the historic Estadio Azteca, Mexico scored four goals against the United States to win their seventh Gold Cup trophy. Their reign would extend to the 1999 FIFA Confederation Cup semi finals, where Cuauhtémoc Blanco heroically scored the goal in the 1-0 triumph to secure Mexico’s ticket to the final.

In more recent years, Mexico’s talent has been superior despite the likes of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey in the USMNT roster.

In 2015, the two sides met for the first time in Concacaf cup history, setting the stage for a classic US vs. Mexico match. El Tricolor took home the 3-2 win with a last minute goal by Paul Aguilar in the 118th minute.

Due to their proximity and level, the two remain rivals in all competitions. Now, the two face off once again to fight for the Nations League trophy.