Landon Donovan vs. Mexico – World Cup ‘02 | Unfiltered Soccer

Summary

Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard

Episode: Landon Donovan vs. Mexico – World Cup ‘02
Date: May 9, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard relive the iconic USA vs. Mexico showdown from the 2002 World Cup, one of the most celebrated moments in USMNT history. The duo provides an inside look at the lead-up, remarkable plays, and lasting impact of the "Dos a Cero" victory, reflecting on the raw emotions of the rivalry and their personal experiences on and off the pitch. The episode concludes with a fun trivia segment about the match and US-Mexico soccer lore.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Setting the Scene: The 2002 World Cup Clash

• Date & Context:
  • June 17, 2002, Jeonju Stadium, South Korea.
  • First-ever USA vs. Mexico meeting at a World Cup, with enormous anticipation for both sides.
  • Tim Howard recalls:

    "I knew we were going to win. I knew it. Swear to you." (00:19)

Recap of the Game's Key Goals and Moments

• First Goal (8th minute):

  • Claudio Reyna drives down the right, centers to Josh Wolff who flicks it to Brian McBride for the finish.
  • Landon comments on the quick thinking and chemistry:

    "Wolfie has this, like, clever little, like, flicked, clipped pass behind him... And then McBride just laced it into the far corner. It was a fantastic goal." (00:56)

• Second Goal (65th minute):

  • John O'Brien plays a long ball to Eddie Lewis, who crosses toward Donovan.
  • Landon describes his thought process and execution:

    "As Eddie lines up the cross, I'm watching it and I'm thinking, like, if it goes in the perfect right spot, I'm gonna score. I know it... If you watch the play closely, it takes this tiny little deflection... and then as it came to me, I'm running at full speed, so I'm basically like, just let it hit your head, right? Just let it hit your head." (01:37)

  • Donovan fondly remembers celebrating with DaMarcus Beasley:

    "I saw Bees, right? ...the joy. Like, I just. I love that moment. It was phenomenal." (02:24)

The Rivalry and Its Significance

• Tim reflects on beating Mexico on a neutral site:

  • "To beat them at a neutral site... now we have this. And by the way, Tim, we may never play them again in a World Cup. You don't know." (03:46)

• Landon on the intensity:

  • "You can't hate something that you don't respect... Otherwise it wouldn't matter." (04:21)

  • "This rivalry is—it feels like it's waning a little bit... but like US-Mexico, in a game that matters, will always be unbelievable." (04:38)

Physical and Emotional Battle

• Discussing the game's rough nature:

  • "Some of the stuff the players said on the field that day was horrific. Like, horrific... it was nasty." (04:54)

Personal Highlight – Post-Match Bus Encounter

• Landon recalls the unforgettable moment after the game:

  • "We feel another bus pulling up next to us. And it's Mexico's bus... It looked like someone died in there. And we're shaking and pounding on the window. I will never... as long as I live..." (05:41-06:07)

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |------------|---------|-------| | 00:19 | Tim | "I knew we were going to win. I knew it. Swear to you." | | 01:37 | Landon | "As Eddie lines up the cross... I'm basically like, just let it hit your head, right? Just let it hit your head." | | 02:24 | Landon | "I saw Bees... the joy. Like, I just. I love that moment. It was phenomenal." | | 04:21 | Landon | "You can't hate something that you don't respect... otherwise it wouldn't matter." | | 05:41-06:07| Landon | "We feel another bus pulling up next to us. And it's Mexico's bus... It looked like someone died in there. And we're shaking and pounding on the window." |

---

Trivia Segment (06:14–09:08)

• Q1: Who got sent off by Rafa Márquez with a straight red in the 88th minute?
  Answer: Kobe Jones. (06:35)

• Q2: How many goals did Landon score against Mexico in his career?
  Landon: "I'm gonna say 4."
  Tim: "I'm gonna say 5."
  Answer: 6 (including first and last international goals against Mexico). (06:56)

• Q3: Who won the Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup?
  Landon: "R9 (Ronaldo)."
  Answer: Oliver Kahn, the German goalkeeper. (07:44)

• Q4: How many times has the US beaten Mexico 2-0 ("dos a cero")?
  Tim: "I'm gonna say seven."
  Landon: "I'm gonna go six."
  Answer: 11 times out of 24 meetings. (08:48)

• Memorable exchange on the Golden Ball topic:

  • Landon: "You have statues, you have awards. What the fuck have I done in the game?" (07:21)
  • Tim: "Nothing." (07:26)

---

Notable Timestamps

• 00:03 — Setting the scene and emotional build-up
• 00:56 — Breakdown of first goal
• 01:37 — Donovan's narrative of the second goal
• 03:00 — Fallout from Poland match and context for US-Mexico
• 04:21 — Philosophy on rivalry and respect
• 05:41–06:07 — The bus window story post-match
• 06:14–09:08 — Trivia segment

---

Overall Tone and Takeaways

The episode is nostalgic, candid, and full of the camaraderie and playful ribbing fans expect from Donovan and Howard. Their combination of tactical insight and unfiltered emotion delivers a rich retelling of one of US Soccer’s greatest nights—with special reverence for the Mexico rivalry and all the passion it encapsulates. The trivia rounds off the episode with light-hearted banter and deep cuts that will satisfy any fan of the North American soccer scene.

Transcript

[A]

This bonus content is brought to you by Jim Beam. We're cheersing the greatest U.S. world cup moments in history. And today it's all about ULD and the goal you scored against Mexico in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup. Okay, let me set the scene. June 17, 2002, at Jeonju Stadium in Cheonju, South Korea. It was 2:30am Eastern time early. Such a crazy World cup for. For timings in this country. Okay. This was the first and only meeting against our arch rivals Mexico in the World Cup. I knew we were going to win. I knew it. Swear to you. Yeah, I was at home and I

[B]

was just thinking, me too.

[A]

This is kind of the matchup. I know it's hard. It's Mexico. I knew it. I knew we'd be up for the game. But what do you remember about it? Off to the game. Got off to a Great start, right 8th minute, Claudio centers the ball for Josh Wolf. Taps pass to Brian McBride. Smashes it.

[B]

Yeah, I remember that goal very well because there was a free kick and someone took it fast, Maybe Claudio took it fast. And then it goes down the right side and a ball gets played in. And Wolfie has this, like, clever little, like, flicked, clipped pass behind him. I don't know how. I don't know if he knew Brian was there. I don't know if he was just moving it on. And then McBride just laced it into the far corner. It was a fantastic goal. And then the game was. It was back and forth a little bit. They had some big chances. Brad Friedel really stood on his head. And then in the 65th minute, I remember John O' Brien got a ball around midfield and he hit this long, like, clipped ball to Eddie Lewis.

[A]

Eddie Lou.

[B]

Yeah. And right when he hit it, I just took off. I started running it. I had. I think it was Tirado who was running with me, the defensive midfielder. And I was probably 10 years younger than he was. And I knew, like, the minute I took off that I had a step on him and I kept, like, gaining on him. And so as Eddie lines up the cross, I'm watching it and I'm thinking, like, if it goes. If it goes in the perfect right spot, I'm gonna score. I know it. But a lot of times it doesn't go in the perfect right spot. And if you watch the play closely, it takes this tiny little deflection off the defender and keeps it, like, from curling too much and keeps it, like, straight into my path. And then as it came to Me, I'm running at full speed, so I'm basically like, just let it hit your head, right? Just let it hit your head. And the best part is I peeled away to the right and I saw Bees, right? And Bees and I had grown up together. I'd known bees at that point for three years. I think we'd been. Four years we'd been playing together. And I saw him there, and the joy. Like, I just. I love that moment. It was phenomenal.

[A]

Incredible. I get goosebumps when I listen to that because it's. I remember watching it and hoping, and then next thing you know, we're sitting here talking about it all these years later, and it ended 2 nil. I think it had to end 2 nil. Is that right? Like, that's just the way it goes.

[B]

And it ended ugly because Rafa Marquez got a red card. Yeah, they were not happy. Like, they were not happy. And it was just. It was a phenomenal feeling because we had won our first game against Portugal. We tie the second game against South Korea. So we're sitting on four points, and that's when the World cup only had two teams advanced, not three. And so you're like, okay, if we get anything out of this Poland game we're in, if we win the game, we might finish top of the group. And then we have a total stinker against Poland. And the hard part against Poland was I actually scored against Poland. It's my first World cup goal. But we're losing, I think 3, 0. At the time, I couldn't celebrate. I went to celebrate, and I went, oh, that's deflating. I can't help but think about today's players now. Like, in the world, they probably would have wheeled off and celebrated. And I was like, we're losing. We're getting our ass kicked. I can't, like, so I couldn't really. I couldn't really celebrate, but what a phenomenal day. And to beat them at a neutral site, because it was always like, all right, we play them in Mexico, they beat us. We play them at home, we beat them. But now we have this. And by the way, Tim, we may never play them again in a World Cup. You don't know.

[A]

No, you don't know. It's a. You know, you said, like, it's so much joy in beating Mexico, like, in watching the Mexican players unhappy, in agony, and they feel the same way about us. And I think that's, you know, the sort of. The rivalry. We often talk about this rivalry, and what I say to people Is usa. Mexico is pure hatred. But there's a respect. You can't hate something that you don't respect because otherwise it wouldn't matter.

[B]

Right. It doesn't mean as much.

[A]

Doesn't mean as much. And so this rivalry is. It feels like it's waning a little bit because of rules and regs and how they stack groups going forward. But like us, Mexico, in a game that matters will always be unbelievable. Unbelievable.

[B]

I remember some of this stuff. The players set on the field that day was horrific. Like, horrific. And I speak Spanish, so some of the stuff. I mean. And I just feel like those days you ride are kind of gone. Like, people don't do that. And some of the stuff they did and the pulling and the stepping on your feet and all that, like, it was nasty. But I will just. I will never forget the moment of the ball hitting my head. And I have this awesome photo. Someone took it from, like, looking at the goal.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Behind me and seeing the goalie diving and it just hitting my head and going in.

[A]

It's phenomenal. I love it.

[B]

And then the last part, and this is maybe the most indelible memory. When we pulled out of the stadium. So all the fans leave and whatever. So we get dressed, shower dressed, whatever. They get dressed. So we pulled up, and to get out of the stadium, there was a stoplight.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so we're waiting at the stoplight, and we feel another bus pulling up next to us. And it's Mexico's bus.

[A]

No, you guys aren't dancing.

[B]

I swear on my life. So I look over and we see them, and we're going. The whole bus is. And they. It looked like someone died in there. And we're shaking and pounding on the window. I will never. As long as I live, I will

[A]

never open the doors. Open the doors.

[B]

It was the best.

[A]

Incredible.

[B]

All right. Yep. Go on.

[A]

Trivia.

[B]

Yeah, trivia. Andrew's got trivia for us. I love this.

[A]

I love trivia because I'm so good at it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah, you do usually. Okay, first question. I'll go. Rafa Marquez was sent off with a straight red card for a hard foul on this U.S. player in the 88th minute. So easy. Is it Wolf's in the game?

[A]

You were in the game. Was it Pablo?

[B]

Kobe Jones?

[A]

Kobe? All right. I was with Kobe this weekend.

[B]

There you go. Oh, okay. 1 0. Me. Go ahead.

[A]

How many goals did Landon score in his career against Mexico? You know, this. Wait. These are all land impacts.

[B]

I actually have no idea. Think about this.

[A]

I'm gonna say 5.

[B]

I'm gonna say 4.

[A]

All right.

[B]

6. First international goal and my last international goal against Mexico. Sorry.

[A]

Crazy.

[B]

Lo siento. Okay. I took home the 2022 World cup award for Best Young Player. Wow. Who took home the tournament's Golden Ball award for best overall player?

[A]

I didn't realize you won best Young player. You were good.

[B]

And then it all went downhill.

[A]

You have statues, you have awards. What the fuck have I done in the game?

[B]

Nothing.

[A]

I have nothing. I have none of those things.

[B]

Sorry, bud. Oh.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Anyway, who won Golden Ball for best overall?

[A]

Who won that to win in 2002?

[B]

It was German. I think it was Ronaldo. R9. Right? I'm gonna say R9, that World Cup.

[A]

Oh, they played Germany in the final?

[B]

I think so, yeah.

[A]

R9. The OG Ronaldo. Oliver Khan. I was thinking that the only goalkeeper.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I was thinking. I remember him in the final.

[B]

Oh, this save he made against me in the quarterfinal. Tim, did you have you. If you have.

[A]

Oh, my.

[B]

You know, this is how I know my whole career. When a ball leaves your foot, when it's in, you know it's in.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

You just. You know, if it's like, maybe. Maybe it's gonna hit the post, but the ones you hit, you go, it's in. I would celebrate before it even crossed the line. Sure. Cause I knew this one. I hit and I went, it's in. And his hand, like Gumby, like, go, go, Gadget. Out of nowhere, I was like, are

[A]

you getting through this? Yeah.

[B]

I knew it was in. The only time in my career that

[A]

ever happened in that. In that game. Okay. How many Times has the US beaten Mexico by the famous scoreline? Dos Acero, 2, nil? A lot. I'm gonna get this wrong.

[B]

I'm gonna say seven.

[A]

Hang on. I like your answer, but I'm gonna go six. Survey says 11. Amazing. 11 of the 11. That's incredible.

[B]

11 times it's been 11.

[A]

Out of 24. 24.

[B]

And there's a reason why they make a T shirt.

[A]

That's incredible. That's so sweet.

[B]

Wow. That's awesome.

[A]

All right, Cool.

[B]

All right. Jim Beam is the official spirit of U.S. soccer. Whether you're following from the stadium or from home, grab a Jim Beam and lemonade and enjoy with those around you. Visit jim beam.com en-us/cocktails,/beam-and-lemonade.