How Columbus became a Fortress for the USMNT 

The U.S. Men’s National Team first played in Columbus, Ohio in the early 2000s, and ever since, it has been a fortress for U.S. Soccer in big moments.

The USMNT returns to the home of Columbus Crew in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Japan at Lower.com Field on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

While the U.S. has already qualified for next year’s World Cup as a host nation, Columbus has historically hosted 11 World Cup Qualifying matches, eight of which the USMNT has won — the most of any city. It’s become a good luck charm of sorts with an overall 10W-1L-3D record in the Arch City. And the magic began Feb. 28, 2001.

USA vs. Mexico. A storied rivalry dating back more than 90 years. However, the match at Historic Crew Stadium turned a page in the series. It marked the origin of the dos a cero chant. The USMNT won the qualifying match 2-0, and the rest is history.

Former U.S. forward Josh Wolff stamped his name into Columbus and U.S. Soccer history that day. But it almost wasn’t that way. Wolff subbed in for starter Brian McBride after he sustained a ghastly face injury in the 15th minute.

Wolff scored the first goal of the game and assisted the USA’s second. In the 47th minute, Clint Mathis launched a high-arching pass over the backline. The speedy Wolff beat the charging Mexico goalkeeper Jorge Camposto the ball and saw nothing ahead but him and a clear net. On the second score, Wolff spun past a defender 1v1 heading toward the goal from the right corner, then laid a tantalizing pass across the box to Earnie Stewart, who smashed it home in the 87th minute to seal the dos a cero victory.

A sold-out crowd of 24,624 went wild. It didn’t matter that the temperature was below freezing; fans showed up for the red, white and blue. Then-head coach Bruce Arena said the team was “blessed with cold weather” against a Mexican side that wasn’t used to frigid air. Columbus created the perfect environment with a pro-American crowd — which isn’t always guaranteed with many El Tri fans in the U.S. — and a special home-field advantage.

The USMNT opened the final qualifying round with a bang, which launched the United States into the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the same nation that the U.S. will try to find some “Fortress Columbus” magic against in a pre-World Cup test this September as the USMNT gears up for the biggest soccer event on home soil.