What’s it like to score at Mexico’s famous Estadio Azteca as the opponent? I can tell you

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Imagine the loudest stadium on earth suddenly falling quiet.

That’s what happens when you score against Mexico at the legendary Estadio Azteca, known rightfully as the cathedral of world football.

And I know, because I’ve done it.

The stadium has been the site of some of the most iconic World Cup moments. Pelé won the tournament there with Brazil in 1970. Diego Maradona did the same with Argentina in 1986, as part of a run in Mexico City that included his Hand of God goal.

This Thursday, the renovated venue will come alive once more for another World Cup — making it the only stadium to host the tournament three times when Mexico opens the 2026 tournament vs. South Africa.

My historic moment there came in 2009, when I scored one of the most memorable goals of my U.S. career during a World Cup qualifier. I remember the moment as if it happened five minutes ago. The scenes. The smell. The sounds. The actual run of play.

It was Aug. 12, and Landon Donovan played the perfect through ball in front of me in the ninth minute. The Mexican players were so fixated on him, leaving space for me to sneak in from behind on the left.

Through balls were the main way I scored most of my goals as a youngster, because I was fast, so here I go …

As I got closer to goalkeeper Memo Ochoa, the goal seemed to get bigger. I knew, 100 percent, that ball was going in. The ball curled exactly where I wanted it to go.

In that moment, I left my body. A million things ran through my mind.

Did that really happen? Did I just score against Mexico? I could not believe it.

I remember as a kid watching the U.S.-Mexico rivalry unfold in 1997. Suddenly, here I am, living it. I took it all in — embracing the silence.

You go from the loudest environment known to mankind to a silence so profound, you are in shock.

The Mexican fans had no idea what hit them — and I absolutely loved it. There may have been 500 U.S. fans who travelled to brave the animosity and rivalry, to witness this game in person, and I could hear them cheering in the far upper right-hand corner of the stadium. It was magical.

I then made the unwise decision, at the age of 23, to run to the corner to celebrate my goal.

For a moment, I thought I was offside because none of my teammates followed me. Lo and behold, no one came because they knew I made myself a target for Mexican fans. I looked up and saw coins, bottles and batteries being thrown at me. While I quickly realized it’s a tough place to play, that’s all part of the allure.

The thing about Estadio Azteca is that there is so much history. It makes it that much more significant. If you’re a real student of the game, that excites you.

When you walk into the stadium, you’re forced to remember the iconic football moments that have happened on those grounds because you see plaques as you walk in. It smacks you in the face. You’re walking on the most iconic pitch in football history.

You also have to understand the expectations that Mexican fans have when Mexico plays in this stadium. It feels like they’re unbeatable in that atmosphere. Fans try to intimidate you or make you feel like you are going to crumble from the pressure, the altitude, the heat. They will do everything they can to back their players — it’s like the whole country’s pride is felt in that stadium. That’s what you’re walking into. It’s a lion’s den.

The conditions are rough inside the stadium too, mostly due to the altitude. You’re not going to recover the amount of oxygen that you normally would with the same type of intensity you’re used to playing in. Throw in the Mexico City heat, and it makes for mind games and finding the right mentality. There’s also the noise, which shocked me the most.

You hear these legendary tales about not hearing your teammates on the pitch, and these are the old stories of people trying to scare you. Usually, it’s an exaggeration. But when you step onto Azteca’s pitch and that game kicks off, you can’t hear anyone.

Verbal communication is out the window. You can use all the hand signals you want, but if you’re in the run of play, all you’re hearing is noise.

You really start to understand what it’s going to become during pregame, because two hours before first kick, you walk to the pitch, and about 90 percent of the supporters are already in the stadium. They make it so loud when you’re leaving the locker room that you feel it. They’re trying to intimidate.

On top of that, you have the Mexican national team players who play with an element of energy, passion and toughness that shows how proud they are to represent their homes, their towns, their communities and their families. You can tell there’s a little bit more in it — a little bit more in the tackle, there’s a little bit more in their recovery runs. That pressure from fans is clearly on the players, and it typically brings the most out of them — until it doesn’t.

What I mean by that is, if the Mexican fans turn, things start to get a little hostile.

After I scored, the Mexican national team knew they had to step it up. The pressure fueled players. They knew they needed to get going, and they scored shortly after.

The fans were still with them the entire game. When they scored the winner near the end and finished the match 2-1, the fans absolutely lost their minds.

Playing at Estadio Azteca — I have to say it’s the greatest atmosphere I’ve ever experienced. It’s something I would wish on every professional soccer player.

It’s a circus from the moment you land in Mexico City to the end of the game. That mental warfare from the Mexican fans starts the moment you land, all the way through until the end of the game.

Teams would even book hotels under fake names to stop fans from finding out where they were staying, because otherwise crowds might show up at midnight, blasting air horns outside the windows. As a player, you hear all these stories and legends.

But to actually see it happen and unfold, I was thrilled. I loved it. I couldn’t believe that the stories were true. It’s all part of the poetry.

England has Wembley Stadium. Italy has San Siro. Mexico has Estadio Azteca.

It is just one of those stadiums — and if you get the chance to play in it, you embrace it.