The USMNT and Mexico will do battle for three points in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on Tuesday night at the Estadio Azteca (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN and Univision, LIVE chat on MLSsoccer.com), but they are also battling for the hearts of Hispanic fans across the United States.
Regardless of the final result, the question will remain: does the US have newfound appeal with the Hispanic audience due to the call-ups and success of Mexican-American players like Herculez Gomez, Omar Gonzalez and Joe Benny Corona?
That was the question posed to Gomez during a media roundtable on Monday, and his answer may surprise you:
"I don't think that the fact there are more Hispanic players on the national team will shift a change in the amount of support we have from the latino or Hispanic people," he said. "I think the fact that there are millions of Hispanic-Americans in the US that are born here and that consider themselves as Americans -- that will make the shift. That will change.
"It just so happens that my last name is Gomez. But I think just like any other American you just want the best player on the team no matter where they come from."
For Gomez it comes down to fans supporting the USMNT because they feel American, not because there are Hispanic players on the team. Do you agree?
