Abogados de Inmigracion

But over the course of 90 minutes -- much of which the Americans played down a man -- the United States managed to fight Mexico to a 0-0 draw, and converted many of the faithful into Team USA supporters, if only for a day.

``The fans turned on Mexico,'' longtime American defender Marcelo Balboa said 12 years later, still with a degree of incredulity.

``They were cheering for us. It was a completely different atmosphere,'' the National Soccer Hall of Fame member continued. ``It's probably one of the best experiences I've ever had.''

Fast-forward a dozen years, and the Americans are looking to make history again -- this time by winning in Mexico for the first time. The teams battle in a World Cup qualifier Wednesday (4 p.m., Telemundo) in a match dripping with importance for both teams.

For the Americans, motivation is three-fold: finally breaking through in Mexico City, where they are 0-18-1 lifetime; revenge for the 5-0 thrashing Mexico handed their ``B'' team in the Gold Cup final last month; and putting themselves in prime position for a World Cup bid six matches through the 10-game qualifying round.

But that's a tall order in the stadium coach Bob Bradley calls the toughest place to play in CONCACAF.

``Playing in Azteca is never just another qualifier,'' Bradley said. ``It's a date that we have had circled on our calendars for a long time.''

WORLD CUP HOPES

The United States (3-1-1) is currently second in the final-round hexagonal, with the top three nations earning automatic berths in the 2010 World Cup. The fourth-place team would need to beat the No. 5 nation out of CONMEBOL in a play-in game to get to South Africa.

Mexico (2-3-0) is currently that fourth-place team. El Tri earned just one point through its first four matches before beating Trinidad and Tobago on June 10. Three matches into the round, the team replaced coach Sven-Goran Eriksson with Javier Aguirre.

Still, Mexico is one of the most dangerous teams in the region, with players such as Carlos Vela, Giovani Dos Santos and legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

The United States counters with its varsity squad. Led as always by Landon Donovan, who has long been the nation's all-time leader in goals and assists, the American offense showed newfound punch in teaching the Confederations Cup final back in June.

CONFIDENCE IS UP

Boca Raton's Jozy Altidore has entrenched himself in the starting lineup, and Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey have aptly held down the midfield. But the hottest player on the team might be goalkeeper Tim Howard, who earned the Golden Glove award as the tournament's best goalkeeper.

``We need to continue doing what we did in South Africa for a large part of the [Confederations] Cup,'' Donovan said. ``We're confident with how we're playing. We're comfortable.