What is a “Dos
a Cero”?
Dos a Cero simply means “Two to Zero” in Spanish, but it means so much more to American and Mexican soccer fans.
Because the us has defeated mexico 2-0 over and over again, dos a cero has become a term to describe a game between the teams that ends 2-0.
dos a cero is a source of pride and fun taunt for the usa, and a source of pain for mexico
All told, we’ve beaten Mexico by a score of “Dos a Cero” eleven times. Eight of those were in competitive matches, including the most important game we’ve ever played against Mexico, the 2002 World Cup Round of 16 match in Korea. The other three were in friendlies.
The picture above is USMNT legend Landon Donovan, scoring the second goal to put us up 2-0 in that match. The GIF has the full play – with John O’Brien releasing Eddie Lewis down the left wing. Lewis hit a perfect cross for 20-year old Donovan to put away.
origins
The very first Dos a Cero was in 1991, during the Gold Cup semifinals in LA. It’s important to know that for most of international soccer history, Mexico has dominated the US. Before that match, the US’s record against Mexico was 2 wins, 4 draws, and 22 losses. Pretty damn lopsided.
But soccer was starting to grow here. In 1990 the US qualified for our first World Cup since [insert], and this match signaled the beginning of the end of Mexico’s dominance in the rivalry.
The term truly started to gain prominence in the early 2000s, when we beat Mexico 2-0 in 2001 in a home WC qualifier, and beat them again 2-0 in the World Cup Round of 16 in Korea.
the rivalry
To truly understand Dos a Cero, you have to also understand the US – Mexico rivalry. There is real animosity (verging on hatred) between the teams. There is something special about this rivalry that gets the Dos a Cero team fired up like no other. It’s partially because the matches are special – we don’t play each other 19 times a year like the Red Sox and Yankees did in 2023. We don’t even play every year, and the matches that truly matter, the World Cup Qualifiers, only come twice every 4 years.
As a very important disclaimer here – we actually really like Mexican people. Our team has traveled extensively in Mexico, had Mexican friends, classmates, and colleagues. Mexican people have been nothing but friendly, helpful, and generally awesome. Our exposure to Mexican footballers is a different story though. Just watch some of the plays below and you’ll see what we mean.
The first play is Rafa Marquez on Cobi Jones in that 2002 World Cup match. By the way – Marquez is on record saying he doesn’t regret that headbutt against Cobi Jones. It’s the dirtiest play we’ve ever seen so not regretting it says a lot. The second play happened in the 2023 Nations League semis, so the dirty plays are constent over time. There are plenty more examples, and we’re working on a compilation video that we’ll post before our next match with Mexico.
What these plays have in common is Mexico getting beaten by their archrival, and their players losing their cool. It’s important to understand that for the first 60 years of this rivalry…it wasn’t really a rivalry. Mexico dominated and frankly 99% of Americans didn’t give a damn about soccer. Mexico felt entitled to beat us, and they were. That attitude still simmers in the Mexican team, and it frustrates more than anything when we beat them. Hence losing their cool.
And it’s not just their players who feel entitled to beat us. Mexican supporters have thrown batteries, coins, and other projectiles at our team during matches (beware the corner kick…).
Their supporters even threw bags of urine at Landon Donovan in the Azteca multiple times. Yes, bags of urine. That’s next level childish up behavior.
Despite the behavior of Mexican fans, US fans should hold themselves to a higher standard. For the record, anyone who behaves like this is an idiot and here at Dos a Cero we explicitly disavow that behavior. We just want you to know the history so you can understand the passion behind the rivalry.
I will say the worst comment I ever received from another player in my life was that day, by Luis Hernandez…At one point we were talking – we were just jabbering back and forth…and he looked at me and he said, ‘I’m going to find your mother and I’m going to kill her.’ I was like, wow, this is a little more than a soccer game, I guess.
all-time best dos a ceros
every dos a cero is memorable, but some stand out above the rest. Here is our countdown of the top 5 all-time best dos a ceros.
We have defeated Mexico by a 2-0 scoreline 11 times, but we limited our Top 5 to only the 8 competitive matches (World Cup – including qualifying, Gold Cup, and Nations League) we’ve won 2-0.
Our rankings are based on (i) the importance of the match; (ii) the most iconic and memorable goals and moments; (iii) the USA’s overall performance. In some of the early Dos a Cero’s, although we won 2-0, Mexico controlled the game. More recently that hasn’t been the case, which has only made the games that much more fun.
Below we’ve provided a brief summary of each Top 5 Dos a Cero, along with full match and extended highlight videos whenever possible. We had a blast watching these highlights – and found ourselves grinning from ear to ear watching them in coffee shops and hotel lobbies – so we encourage you to take the time. It’s worth it.
Comments on our rankings? Use our contact page to let us know!
5) February 2001 - columbus, oh - world cup qualifying
This was the 3rd ever Dos a Cero, but many believe this is the match that gave birth to the term. The next time we played Mexico was in the 2002 World Cup, and our fans had already begun to chant Dos a Cero as a taunt to Mexico’s supporters. This game also birthed the term “La Guerra Fria” (the cold war) to describe the US’s new habit of scheduling matches against Mexico in as cold an environment as we could. Frankly it works and the cold clearly gets to the Mexican players. In fact – they have said that before the 2002 World Cup game that they didn’t think the US could beat them outside of frigid environment.
On top of the historical significance – this game has some extremely memorable moments. First, Brian McBride took a nasty collision to his head early in the match that made his eye get so swollen he couldn’t see out of it. This forced coach Arena to bring on Josh Wolff in the 15th minute – and whether lucky or a stroke of genius, that won us the match. In the 47th minute Wolff won a 1-on-1 battle with Mexico’s keeper and latched on to a beautiful through ball from Clint Mathis. He tucked it away for a 1-0 lead.
Our second goal was legit. Wolff managed to wriggle away from two Mexican defenders, and drove towards the box in the 87th minute. He pulled it back for Earnie Stewart, who made no mistake and ripped it in for a two-nil advantage. Dos a Cero was born and never looked back.
4) September 2013 - columbus, oh - world cup qualifying
Back to back to back…to back.
One match makes memories, two makes a trend. Three in a row makes a dynasty, four makes a legend. This match was the fourth time in a row that the US defeated Mexico by a score of 2-0 in World Cup Qualifying in Columbus. 7.3% of soccer matches end 2-0, so the odds of 4 in a row is 0.003%. Pretty damn cool and in our view, this made attending a World Cup Qualifier against Mexico in Columbus a required pilgrimage for USMNT supporters. Keep an eye out for that one in our next World Cup Qualification campaign in 2029 (we’re automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup as one of the host countries) as we suspect tickets might get a little pricey.
The match was one of the USA’s better performances in the Klinsmann era. As was so often the case in these earlier days of Dos a Cero, the US took advantage of a set piece to counteract Mexico’s dominance on the ball, and Eddie Johnson opened the scoring in the 49th minute with a dominant header. Frankly we forgot how good the second goal was until we watched the highlights. Mix Diskerud (one hit wonder?) took a pass at the top of the box in the 78th minute. He made a sick flick to take multiple defenders out of the play, then crossed to Donovan at the back post. He frankly just wanted it more than the Mexican defender and tapped in for ANOTHER Dos a Cero.
Perhaps the MOST memorable moment in this one came at basically the final whistle. Clint Dempsey won a penalty in stoppage time. Another goal would make it 3-0, adding embarrassment on Mexico with an even more lopsided scoreline. But Dempsey blazed wide. Gamblers with a 2-0 moneyline rejoiced and those with a 3-0 scoreline despaired. Did he miss on purpose? Watch the highlights and judge for yourself.
3) march 2024 - arlington, tx - concacaf nations league final
Entering the top 3 now, and it’s getting really competitive. Number 2 vs. number 3 was a tough call for our team as they are both phenomenal games.
The 2024 Nations League Final victory made the US back-to-back-to-back Nations League Champions. Frankly, this match cemented our status as Kings of CONCACAF right now, and it’s not close. It also continued an emerging story line in that the USA is the only team to ever win Nations League. It’s OUR trophy. When Nations League first started we will admit to thinking it was a pretty dumb fabricated competition, but now that we have this record of being the only country to win it, we just want to keep it forever.
This match is also chock full of memorable goodies for us all to relive together. The US got off to a quick start, with slick combination down the left between Robinson, Reyna, and Pulisic creating a great chance for Puli that Ochoa saved well. The first half closed with one of the all-time greatest goals for the USMNT though. Off a corner kick, Tim Ream recyled possession back to Tim Weah. Weah beat a man, and laid if off to McKennie, who played what looked like an innocent pass to Adams in space 40 yards from goal. Adams had other ideas and unleashed a ROCKET from 35 yards into the top corner. It was his first start for the US in 475 days after a long injury absence, and we suspect he may have worked on his long shots during that stretch…
Just as important as the goal was the celebration. There is genuine joy on the face of every USMNT player and coach. This team’s togetherness is a real strength and you can see it in full force during this celebration.
The second goal was pure class too. Pulisic received the ball on the left wing and isolated his man in the corner. He then proceeds to pull AN INSANELY SICK MOVE that didn’t get nearly enough attention. He shaped up to hit a cross, then when his defender lays out to try to block it, he pulls of a deft chip over the defender into wide open space. His cross then gets cleared poorly, and Reyna runs onto it at the top of the box. First time, half volley, bottom corner. Two nil. Pandemonium in Arlington.
We easily deserved that lead too. We frankly dominated that game, and as noted earlier – cemented our position as Kings of CONCACAF. We even had a clear opportunity for a third as the final whistle approached, but it wasn’t to be. Dos a Cero was the result we needed.
This match was another example of poor sportmanship from Mexico. Players and fans alike. After a VAR review, the refs overturned a PK awarded to Mexico and changed it to a yellow card for simulation (aka diving). From there, the Mexican fans couldn’t keep themselves from shouting a homophobic chant over and over again. Stay classy Mexico.
Extremely Extended Highlights (20 min) Extended Highlights
We could not find a link to the full match, so if anyone has a link to it please contact us so we can update this post.
2) November 2021 - Cincinatti, oh (wtf) - World Cup qualifying
Starting in 2001, the US had the upper hand on Mexico for almost 15 years. 2015 – 2020 was a pretty rough stretch for the USMNT. We missed the 2018 World Cup. We failed to beat Mexico 2-0 in qualifying. Our stars from the 2006 – 2014 World Cups were aging and this current generation hadn’t matured enough to keep us on top of CONCACAF.
That all changed in the summer of 2021, when we won the Gold Cup and the inaugural Nations League, both in dramatic fashion versus Mexico. The squad saved the best for last that year, with yet another Dos a Cero in Ohio in World Cup Qualifying. This is when we truly took the lead back as the best in our region.
This game was really back and forth in the first half, in part because Pulisic was returning from injury and not fit enough to go the full 90. The US created several half chances before Zach Stefen (remember him? what did Man City do to him?!) made a huge save in the 18th to preserve the shutout. Mexico missed an open chance at the back post in the 31st too.
The second half was a different story as the US began to create chances quickly. Weah found McKennie in the box on a pullback. Wes struck it well but too central and Ochoa made the save. Pulisic came on in the 69th minute, and quickly put the US ahead. In the 74th minute Weah created a yard for a cross and drove one into the 6 yard box. Pulisic came flying through beating his defender plus Ochoa to ball to head home for a 1-0 lead. Unstoppable combination from those two. In the 85th minute McKennie made it Dos a Cero. He admittedly gets a little lucky when he tries to play a 1-2 with Ferreira at the top of the box and the ball bounces back to him off a Mexican defender. But then…in a critical moment (remeber it’s only 1-0 at this point, the game is on a knife’s edge) he shows supreme confidence and rips it into the far post. The SWAG on this goal speaks volumes to what this new generation means to US soccer. Harry Potter goal celebrations ensue.
Speaking of swagger, Pulisic’s goal celebration deserves special mention here. In the buildup to this match, Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa said “Mexico has been that mirror in which the United States want to see themselves.” Basically, he was saying the US wants to emulate Mexico. As Lee Corso would say…not so fast. This generation is determined to take soccer to new heights in the US, and to chart their own path doing it. So when Pulisic scored, he lifted his shirt to reveal a base layer with the words “Man in the Mirror”. In other words – no thanks Guillermo. You can hold my beer though.
1) June 2002 - Jeonju south Korea - world cup round of 16
Even though this isn’t the original, for us, this is THE Dos a Cero that started it all. Dave Sarachan (assistant coach at the time) agrees. “I could be wrong, but I think that was the start of Dos a Cero. That was Dos a Cero, 2-0.” This was the fourth in the series, and like Star Wars, Episode IV of Dos a Cero was definitively the best episode. It is unequivocally the most important match we’ve ever played against Mexico and we took it, Dos a Cero.
We played a 3-5-2 – which current coach Gregg Berhalter noted we had never done before. Talk about a gutsy call by then head coach Bruce Arena. Mexico dominated possession, and we had to ride a bit of luck, but we were clinical with our chances.
Brian McBride finished a beautiful move down the right flank. Claudio Reyna (uncharacteristically playing Right Wing Back in the 3-5-2) beat several players down the right wing, hit a low cross to Josh Wolff at the near post. Wolff laid it back with a gorgeous first touch and McBride side-footed it far post. 8th minute and we’re up 1-0. A dream start.
After sustained pressure by Mexico, the US (as usual at this point in the rivalry) struck on the counter. John O’Brien found Eddie Lewis free down the left wing (remember when we had wingers who stayed wide?) who played a perfect cross to a 20-year old high potential talent by the name of Landon Donovan. Landon headed in at the back post from 6 yards out to put us up 2-0 in the 65th minute. Dos a Cero considers this to be the #1 all-time goal the USA has ever scored.
However, the match was far from over, and Cobi Jones came on in the 79th minute for McBride, clearly a defensive sub. He was immense holding the ball in the corner and helping to kill off the game. Mexico got SO frustrated they couldn’t get the ball off him that Rafa Marquez (*cough* villain) cleaned Jones out with one of the dirtiest plays we’ve ever seen. It was a flying karate kick plus headbutt that somehow combined the best (or worst) of Bruce Lee and Hulk Hogan in one move. Obvious straight red. He made no attempt to play the ball and Jones was lucky not to be seriously injured. Marquez was off in the 88th and the match was over. The US had our first and still (I hope to update this in 2026…) only ever win in the knock out rounds of a World Cup. We moved on to face Germany in the quarters. (Side note we dominated that match but lost 1-0. That still stands for me as the best all-time performance the US has ever produced).
In 2019 MLS published an oral history of this match. It’s a long read, but trust us, it’s well worth it. It includes quotes from 17 players and coaches including Landon Donovan, Brad Friedel, Bruce Arena, and even a few Mexican stars like Jared Borgetti.