Columbus, Ohio, has proven to be a fortress time and time again for the United States national team. The Sept. 10 World Cup qualifier against Mexico could have sold out twice, according to U.S. Soccer.
Because of the expected interest in the game, U.S. Soccer held a lottery for tickets, allowing fans to apply and randomly selecting applications as winners. The federation announced on Friday that it received “more than twice as many requests than could be accommodated” in the 24,000-plus capacity Columbus Crew Stadium.
At least 9,000 of those seats are expected to be filled with members of the American Outlaws, the U.S.’s official supporters’ group. That would be the largest organized supporters’ section in U.S. history for a national team game.
Another raucous atmosphere in Columbus would add to the list of recent U.S. home games with good crowds, including against Panama in Seattle in the Hexagonal and against Jamaica in Columbus and Guatemala in Kansas City, Kan., in the previous round.
With the U.S. on a roll, having won its last 11 games, interest in the team is at an all-time high. Should the Americans defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina on Aug. 14 and Costa Rica on Sept. 6 — which will be no small task — they will have a chance to extend that run to 14 against their biggest rival.