The USMNT’s Azteca Scoring Club​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‍‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‍‌‌‌‌​​​‌‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‍‍​‌‍‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍​‌‍​‌‌‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‍‌‍‍‌​‌​​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‍‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‍‌‌‌‌​​​‌‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‍‍​‌‍‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍​‌‍​‌‌‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‍‌‍‍‌​‌​​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌​‍​‍‌‌

Considered the best U.S player in the late 1970s and much of the 1980s, Rick Davis played one college season at Santa Clara before turning pro with the New York Cosmos in 1978.

A fixture in the lineup leading to qualifying to the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Davis and the USMNT faced a similar qualifying scenario as the team had eight years prior, with a 0-0 draw and 2-1 loss to Canada making the team’s matches against Mexico must-win games.

It wasn’t to be.

Mexico legend Hugo Sánchez opened the scoring in the 24^th minute, the first of four goals that delighted the crowd of 100,000 before halftime. After El Trí’s Adrian Camacho scored his second of the game in the 55^th minute, there was no doubt left about the result. Still, the U.S. earned a penalty with about 15 minutes left and Davis – who was the face of American soccer at the time – slotted a low effort inside the right post to join Roy as the second USMNT player to score at Azteca.

“We were blown out of the field,” frustrated USMNT head coach Walt Chyzowych said following the match. The result eliminated his team and ensured that Mexico and Canada would advance from the three-team group.

Though it was meaningless for qualification, the U.S. restored some pride and made a little more history in the return fixture two weeks later, using a brace from Steve Moyers to earn a 2-1 win in front of 2,126 fans at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It was the team’s second-ever win against Mexico and first since defeating El Trí in a one-game WCQ playoff held in Rome days prior to the start of the 1934 FIFA World Cup.

Rare is the moment that one can bring quiet a capacity crowd of 100,000 people, but that’s exactly what Charlie Davies did when he opened the scoring in the USMNT’s visit to Azteca in 2009.

A nice build-up out of midfield led to Landon Donovan springing the 23-year-old in down the left. The striker turned on his jets, cut inside and curled a right-footed effort past Guillermo Ochoa to open the scoring in the ninth minute.  

“It went from the loudest environment you could ever be in as a professional footballer, to silence,” Davies said recently. “I remember just looking up and I could hear the maybe 400 American fans that traveled on that day in the farthest corner of the stadium.”

Not one to miss his moment, the exuberant striker ran to the corner flag and used it as a microphone stand, playing a song in his own head as he danced in celebration.

It was a magical moment for Davies and the USMNT, but the lead was short-lived.

Ten minutes later, Israel Castro used the thin Azteca air to launch a rocked from 25 yards that beat Tim Howard and careened in off the underside of the crossbar. The U.S. hung tough through much of the match, but carried by the home crowd, Mexico broke through as Miguel Sabah fired home a close-range winner in the 82^nd minute.

Despite the defeat, Davies’ ninth minute goal marked the first time the U.S. struck first at Azteca, providing a building block for future visits to Mexico City. For Davies, nothing in his career comes close to the time he scored at Azteca.

“That’s the moment that sticks out to me,” he added. “That’s the pinnacle of my career.”  

An exceptional talent combines equal parts preparation, recognition and execution. Michael Bradley masterfully mixed all three when he opened the scoring just six minutes into the USA’s 1-1 draw against Mexico during the team’s last visit to Azteca in 2017.

Having watched endless video on Mexico’s pattern of play, Bradley anticipated a back pass from Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and pounced to intercept. Seeing goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa well off his line, he expertly launched a measured 35-yard chip that floated through the thin Azteca air that eluded the keeper’s desperate dive and billowed the back of the net.

“As I was able to intercept the pass from Chicharito, I took the first touch and saw that he was a good ways out,” Bradley recalled. “And here, you know that if you catch a ball right, with the thin air the ball's going to really fly. I wanted to make sure I caught it right. And I did.”

Though Mexico grabbed an equalizer from Carlos Vela in the 23^rd minute, Bradley nearly bagged another from long distance late in the match, seeing his half volley cling off the right post in the 74^th minute.

In the end, the teams settled for a 1-1 draw. Bradley’s well-studied strike was the earliest scored by the U.S. at Azteca and led to the first score-draw by the USMNT in Mexico.