Tickets for USA vs Mexico 'Cold War' clash sell out in 90 minutes

Tickets for the United States against Mexico FIFA World Cup qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 11 sold out 90 minutes after going on sale to the general public.

The game marks the third-consecutive time that a capacity crowd will pack Columbus Crew Stadium for the final round home leg between the United States and Mexico. The match in Columbus is the first of five home qualifiers for the United States this year.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN2HD and Univision, as well as on the airwaves via Futbol de Primera. Fans can also follow along via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

The match will be the sixth World Cup qualifier hosted by the nine-year-old venue. The U.S. has a 3-0-2 record in qualifying and an unbeaten 4-0-3 all-time record in the stadium. In the first meeting on Feb. 28, 2001 – dubbed the “Guerra Fria (‘Cold War’)” because the game-time temperature topped out at 29 degrees – goals by Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart paced the U.S. to a 2-0 victory. Four years later on Sept. 3, 2005, goals by Steve Ralston and DaMarcus Beasley earned the United States another 2-0 win and officially booked their place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

The U.S., along with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago, is competing in the 10-game round-robin format through Oct. 14, 2009, with the top three teams automatically advancing to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The fourth-place team will compete in a two-game playoff to be held Nov. 14/18 against the fifth-place finisher in South American qualifying.