I was there. One of the greatest experiences ever. It was cold. Very cold. I think that the crowd had a huge impact on the game. About 600 hard core fans US cheered non-stop during warmups in the empty stadium. Mexico did not take the field to warm up. No US fan who was there was the same after that night!
The crowd absolutely had a major impact. It was probably the first time we ever played them to a pro-US crowd, considering we usually would host them in a place like LA or Miami. And yes, it was about 25 degrees or so during the game with a chance of snow.
Thanks for starting this thread. I thought of the anniversary yesterday. We flew from Chicago and the airline wished the US national team luck in their game against Mexico, then announced the wind chill on arrival of 5 degrees. The flight attendant said: "How can they play a soccer game in this weather?" I had joined this board 3 days before the game and learned from these discussions that the Ohio State hospital emergency room was crammed with US fans after the game, mostly frostbite and sprained ankles. According to online posts, 3 people in the US supporters section died in the week after the game. One was an accountant from San Diego, who was a bit overweight but walking on cloud nine when he returned to work, where he died at his desk. An older woman from Columbus had been released from the hospital with terminal cancer but told her family that if it was the last thing she did she wanted to see the US beat Mexico. Her home had fans from out of town sleeping on the floor so they could attend the game. She walked into the stadium and out of it but took sick 2 days later. Fans, from all over, including me, called to thank her and wish her well. She died few days later. I can't for the life of me remember the third story as told on these boards. The atmosphere in the stadium was insane. I have never seen anything like it before or since. A Mexican player, Jesus Arellano, smiled at the supporters section and applauded us as he left the field!
That's tragic about those deaths. I'd imagine a lot of the injuries were from drunk people jumping up and down on the bleachers. I suppose a few hours ago was the 20th anniversary of this gem:
Thanks very much for posting the videos, especially the first one. What memories. It really was a turning point for the national team and we also needed the points. We ended up with 16, 15 points and you did not qualify. We stayed in the now closed Columbus Youth Hostel about 3 miles from the stadium. We walked to and from the stadium in the intense cold. Some fans were staying in the hostel and the atmosphere was amazing. Like Christmas morning when you are small.