Nobody celebrated when Mexico qualified for the World Cup. The point the team needed came from a 0-0 tie with the United States, which has lost all 17 times it has come to Mexico City.
The more than 100,000 fans at Aztec Stadium on Sunday were furious. They raised their fists, whistled cat-calls and chanted for the ouster of their coach, Bora Milutinovic."If we're going to play like this in the World Cup, we shouldn't even go," said Patricia Toris, a 24-year-old secretary who painted her face red, white and green - the colors of the Mexican flag.
At a postgame news conference, Milutinovic said "a soccer coach always keeps his suitcase packed," and threatened to walk out after a Mexican reporter asked if the game was fixed.
The Americans were ecstatic. Mexico City is a tough place to play because of its 7,200-foot altitude and heavy smog - to say nothing for its team, the strongest in the region.
Mexico had won all previous 17 home games against the United States since 1937, outscoring the Americans 69-13.
With a victory or tie Sunday at Canada, the United States would move into a commanding position for a World Cup berth. The Americans play their final game against El Salvador on Nov. 16 at Foxboro, Mass.
With the tie, Mexico (4-0-4) became the 22nd country to clinch a spot for the 32-nation World Cup in France. It leads the six-team finals of the North and Central American and Caribbean region with 16 points. Jamaica (3-2-3), which plays at El Salvador on Sunday, is second with 12 points, and the United States (2-1-5) is third with 11.
The top three teams will qualify, which means the Americans are in good position to advance to the tournament for the third straight time. El Salvador (2-3-3) is fourth with nine points, followed by Costa Rica (2-4-2) and Canada (1-4-3).