Mexico U19

1930s: Origins

The first match between the two sides was a qualifying match in Italy for the final spot in the 1934 FIFA World Cup. The United States had established a professional league in 1921, but it folded in 1933. The final score was United States 4–2 Mexico. In September 1937, Mexico began a winning streak over the U.S. in friendlies, 7–2, 7–3, and 5–1 in Mexico City.

1940s–1980s: Mexico dominance

Following that initial victory by the U.S. in 1934, Mexico went unbeaten in the next 24 games between the two nations, with 21 wins and three draws. The U.S. would not record its second victory over its southern neighbor until 46 years later in 1980, when they won a 1982 World Cup qualifier 2–1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Overall, the first 50 years of the rivalry concluded with Mexico holding a commanding lead in the series, 22 wins to the United States' two, with three draws.

1990s: Rivalry emerges and Mexico foothold

With the rapid development of soccer in the United States, the U.S. qualified for the World Cup in 1990 for the first time since 1950 and fourth time overall, thanks in part to the Cachirules scandal which caused Mexico to be banned from the qualification tournament. This decade saw the U.S. begin to field more competitive sides, challenging the dominance of Mexico for the first time since 1934. However, despite a few notable U.S. victories, such as a 2–0 triumph in the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991, and a 4–1 win on penalties following a 0–0 draw in the quarterfinals of the 1995 Copa America, Mexico still got the better of the U.S. in the '90s, with five wins to three, alongside six draws.

2000s–2014: "Dos a cero" and Landon Donovan era

The first decade of the new millennium saw the United States turn the tides of the rivalry. In 2001, the U.S. and Mexico faced off in a 2002 World Cup qualifier at Columbus Crew Stadium, which saw the U.S. defeat their archrivals 2–0, Landon Donovan scoring a goal and providing an assist for the other in his senior team debut. The match, dubbed La Guerra Fria ("The Cold War") by Mexican media due to the sub-freezing conditions that night, was called "Dos a cero" (two to zero) by American press, creating a tagline for future matches that finished with a similar scoreline. The following year, the two nations would face off in the FIFA World Cup itself for the first, and so far only, time in their history in the round of 16 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Goals from Brian McBride and Landon Donovan eliminated Mexico to give the U.S. another 2–0 "Dos a cero" victory, to date the most important and famous matchup of the rivalry.

Led by Donovan, the United States would continue their dominance throughout the rest of the decade and into the first half of the next, with three more 2–0 victories in home World Cup qualifiers at Crew Stadium. The penchant for the U.S. to defeat Mexico by that particular score line led to U.S. fans taunting their rivals by chanting dos a cero ("two to zero"). Over the decade, various off-field incidents also happened that further hardened the rivalry, such as Donovan urinating on a Mexican training pitch and Mexican fans shouting "Osama" to the American players in reference to 9/11. Also within this time frame, the U.S. would defeat Mexico 2–1 in the 2007 Gold Cup final. Mexico would return the favor in the following final in 2009 with a 5–0 victory, albeit against a U.S. side which was not fielding its best players due to them playing at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, but would repeat the feat 2 years later with a 4–2 comeback victory against a full-strength U.S. team. The following year, the U.S. would defeat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca for the first time, winning a friendly match 1–0, and then during 2014 World Cup qualifying, the United States earned their second ever point in the Azteca by way of a 0–0 draw.

A low point in the rivalry for Mexico came in 2013, when, in the final match day of World Cup qualifying, Mexico found themselves on the brink of elimination. With El Tri trailing in their match against Costa Rica and Panama holding a 2–1 lead over the United States, Mexico had found themselves in 5th place and were minutes away from failing to qualify for the World Cup. However, in stoppage time, an equalizing goal from American Graham Zusi saved Mexico, vaulting them past Panama and into 4th place in the table, ensuring their qualification to the intercontinental playoff, where they would defeat New Zealand to qualify for the World Cup. The goal caused the Mexican commentator for TV Azteca to exclaim "God Bless America!" in English, and led to Zusi being dubbed San Zusi ("Saint Zusi") by Mexico fans. Landon Donovan retired after controversially not being picked for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Ultimately, from 2000 to 2014, the United States was dominant, with 12 wins to Mexico's five, together with five draws.