CHICAGO – Line Mexico and the United States up anywhere – a World Cup qualifier, a friendly, even a pickup game at a local playground – and it’s going to be intense.

Think Red Sox-Yankees, Packers-Bears or Michigan-Ohio State. Regional bragging rights are at stake, and they mean just as much to the players as they do to those loud and proud folks in the stands.

“We don’t like them, and they don’t like us,” American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley said. “It’s not a game when we play Mexico. It’s more.”

The Americans play Mexico again Sunday, this time in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final. In addition to the title in this region’s biggest tournament – which Mexico has won four times, the United States three – the teams are playing for a spot in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.

“It’s a big rivalry in the region,” U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra said. “We want to win every time we play them. Obviously it’s a good game and a tough game every time.”

That wasn’t always the case, though. Mexico dominated for most of the rivalry, putting together a 24-game unbeaten streak that stretched across five decades. A draw was practically as good as a victory for the Americans during that time.

It made sense. Soccer is the national sport in Mexico, like baseball or football – the NFL version – are in the United States. Mexico’s domestic league has a long and rich history, giving young players a place to get experience and improve their games.

But as the Americans have improved at the world’s favorite game, so have their results against Mexico.

The Americans are 8-2-1 against Mexico since 2000, including a 2-0 victory in the second round of the 2002 World Cup. They’re an impressive 7-0-1 on U.S. soil during the stretch and have outscored Mexico 13-0, during a span of 753 minutes.

“It’s true we haven’t won in the United States recently, but life gives you opportunities,” Mexico captain Pavel Pardo said. “And Sunday, we will have one.”

The teams are a study in contrasts. Mexico is fluid, opening up the field with long, accurate passes and having a knack for always being in the right place at the right time. The Americans, still not as skilled or experienced, rely on an aggressive, attacking style.

“The prettier the game is footballwise, the better it is for the Mexican team,” U.S. midfielder Pablo Mastroeni said.

“The way we’ve been working this year is to make it difficult for anyone to play through us.”

Mexico usually has control of the ball more when the teams play, and creates more opportunities.

The Americans, though, manage to find ways to win.

“Over the last certainly eight to 10 years, we’ve had players who have experience around the world, and they understand what big games are all about. Most of all, they understand what big rivalries are like,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.

“They’ve been able to step on the field against Mexico and make it hard for Mexico by competing for every ball. That type of mentality has been successful.”

Neither team has looked all that impressive during the Gold Cup.

The Americans gave up late goals against both Panama and Canada, and needed help from a disputed offsides call for their 2-1 victory over the Maple Leafs in the semifinals. Mexico lost to Honduras in the group stage, and eked out 1-0 wins over Panama and Costa Rica. It needed 70 minutes to score against little Guadeloupe, and managed only a 1-0 victory.

But past performances will likely mean little Sunday.

“We have to win,” Mexico goalie Oswaldo Sanchez said. “You play the finals to win, and to do that we have to give everything.”

At least Mexico will be able to count on heavy fan support.

Even when games are in the United States, the Americans are heavy underdogs with most in the crowd cheering for Mexico. That isn’t likely to change for Sunday’s sold-out final. The majority of the 50,000-plus fans at Thursday night’s semifinals were in El Tri colors, and the Americans actually heard boos at the end of their game.

“Against Mexico, it’s always an away game,” Beasley said. “That’s just the way it is.”

AP-ES-06-23-07 1846EDT