MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Soccer Federation’s build-up toward Thursday’s World Cup qualifier here in the sprawling Mexican capital included a video and feature on the American men who’ve scored against El Tri at the Estadio Azteca. The first was Willy Roy, the German-born, Chicago-bred National Soccer Hall of Fame forward who struck in the initial meeting between the sides at the massive new stadium south of the city center.
That was back in 1972. Since then, through five decades and 12 additional encounters, Roy has been joined by only five more compatriots. Simply scoring once at Azteca is so noteworthy that it’s become something worth commemorating.