MEXICO CITY - When Landon Donovan got to the locker room at halftime and the United States trailing by two goals, he already sensed that the Americans' hopes for their first win in Mexico had vanished.

"My main concern," he said, "was let's make sure we don't get blown out."

The United States played better in the second half, but it was too late.

Mexico's 2-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday left the huge crowd of about 110,000 in Azteca Stadium both happy and relieved.

It avenged the Tricolores' painful loss from three years ago, restored their status as the top team in the region and kept up a 68-year tradition of never losing to the Americans at home.

"To get a result in Azteca is always pretty difficult," U.S. midfielder Eddie Lewis said. "Maybe we're just not quite ready yet."

There isn't much time for the Americans to recover. They play Guatemala Wednesday at Birmingham, Ala., their first home match in the 10-game final qualifying round.

"Now," goalkeeper Kasey Keller said, "the real pressure is on."

Lewis scored the lone U.S. goal in the 59th minute off a feed from Donovan, the first goal in Mexico for the Americans since 1984. Mexico imposed its will for most of the game, getting goals from Jared Borgetti in the 30th minute and Antonio Naelson in the 33rd.

For now, Mexico City's 7,200-foot altitude remains too high an obstacle for the U.S. team to climb. The Americans are 0-22-1 in Mexico, getting their lone point from a 0-0 tie in a 1997 qualifier.

"We were always taking the initiative," said Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe, who received a congratulatory call from President Vicente Fox. "For 90 minutes, there was only one team on the field."

There was some booing and whistling during "The Star-Spangled Banner," but the Americans expected worse. After the game, about 100 people gathered for a peaceful celebration near Mexico City's Angel of Independence monument. A few first tried to burn, then trampled a small American flag while chanting "Osama! Osama!"

Mexico had felt the pressure since its 2-0 loss to the United States in the second round of the 2002 World Cup, a game that dented national pride. But that match was played in South Korea, not Mexico, where the Tricolores are 54-1-4.

A large banner in Estadio Azteca's upper deck proclaimed: "El Gigante No Ha Muerto," or "The Giant Is Not Dead Yet." And the Tricolores proved that right: Mexico ended both the Americans' 16-game unbeaten streak and their 31-game run without a loss against regional rivals.

"We weren't lucky enough to make it a blowout," Lavolpe said.

After a lackluster opening 20 minutes, Mexico began to play the ball wide and dominate, leaving the U.S. team gasping for air.

"Our players shut down the last 15 minutes of the first half, and that cost us the game," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said.

Arena started just one forward, Eddie Johnson, and used Oguchi Onyewu in central defense because Eddie Pope is injured. The Americans, who prepared for the altitude by practicing in Colorado Springs, Colo., were overly cautious, seemingly afraid to waste energy.

"It's hard because you're just too tired," Donovan said. "You know if you're going to run 40, 50 yards when you have the ball, you're going to (have to) get back."

Mexico went ahead after Francisco Fonseca brought the ball into the penalty area and tipped it to Salvador Carmona, who looped it to Jaime Lozano at the far post. Lozano headed the ball back across to Borgetti, who got by Onyewu and headed it in from 3 yards out.

Then in the 33rd, Cuahutemoc Blanco sent a long pass from midfield to Borgetti, who headed the ball in front of the goal. With Keller coming out, Naelson banged the ball in off the far post from 11 yards.

"That was a really poor goal," Keller said.

Mexico (2-0) leads qualifying in the North and Central American and Caribbean region with six points, two ahead of Guatemala (1-0-1) and three in front of the United States and Costa Rica (both 1-1). The top three nations qualify for the 2006 tournament in Germany, and the fourth-place team goes to a playoff.

"We were the only team in this competition that had their first two games on the road," Arena said. "If you had asked if I would be happy that we had three points after two games, I would say `Yes.'"