After Donald Trump's election triumph, Mexico’s soccer players probably won’t require much of a motivational pep talk when the latest chapter of the famous North American soccer rivalry unfolds later today in Columbus, Ohio.

Televisions across the nation will be switched on at 6:45 p.m. as Mexico and the United States kick off the first game in the final group stage of 2018 Soccer World Cup qualifying tournament for the North, Central America and Caribbean region (CONCACAFF). 

The choice of location for this key game, Colombus, is significant. The smaller stadium, colder weather and reduced ticket allocation for Mexican fans should work in favor of the U.S. team. Had the game been scheduled in city such as Los Angeles or Chicago, the fans would predominantly be supporting Mexico.  Mexican fans are reportedly paying up to $US500 for black market tickets, which have been carefully allocated by U.S. soccer authorities to ensure they do not fall into the hands of large groups of rival supporters.

Mexico and the United States are the favorites to qualify from the six-team group, which includes Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Trinidad & Tobago. Three teams automatically go through to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the fourth-placed country heads into a playoff with a team from Oceania.

Soccer analysts say the U.S.-Mexico game is too close to call, with the odds slightly stacked in favor of the visiting Mexicans, for historic reasons if nothing else. 

Mexico, however, will need to forget about their last performance in a competition in the United States. Back in June, “El Tri” were humiliated in a 0-7 loss to Chile in the quarterfinal of the Copa America. Coach Juan Carlos Osorio, from Colombia, kept his job after that debacle but will need to  demonstrate that he has players back on track for the ten group games running through October 2012.

In the second series of qualifying games on November 15, Mexico travels to Panama, and the United States to Costa Rica.