If you allowed yourself to be distracted by the Gold Cup in July, you probably lost sight of the fact the long-anticipated September 10 World Cup qualifying matchup between the US national team and Mexico is only slightly more than a month away.
And on Friday, U.S. Soccer announced a bit of news that quickly perked the ears of USMNT supporters across the country and made the 39-day wait suddenly seem so far away again. Crew Stadium is officially sold out for the premier CONCACAF clash, but we knew that was never in doubt.
The sell-out crowd will be energized by the presence of the largest organized supporters section in U.S. Soccer history. More than 9,000 members will occupy 27 sections, which is more than three times larger than any group of organized supporters for a previous match.
Nine. Thousand. Supporters. More than three times larger than any other home supporters section in U.S. Soccer history.
Don't think for even a second, though, that because the supporters section will be the largest ever, that you'll suddenly be able to come into tickets any more easily. The American Outlaws, the country's leading USMNT supporters group, booked nearly the entire allotment in reservations for supporters section tickets during a week-long pre-sale in early July.
The Outlaws will be there. The USMNT will be there. Mexico might wish they weren't there. And if you don't have your tickets secured and guaranteed already, you probably won't be there.
