US national team fans were not the only ones celebrating on Wednesday morning after the latest 2-0 win against Mexico helped guarantee a spot in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Executives at ESPN were also likely doing backflips after revealing that the USA-Mexico match drew the best-ever overnight rating for a FIFA World Cup qualifier aired on the network.
The 1.9 overnight rating, calculated via Nielsen's metered markets, was also the highest viewership ever for a USMNT match outside of the World Cup or Confederations Cup, beating out the 1.6 earned for the scoreless draw between Mexico and the USMNT on March 26 at Estadio Azteca.
But here's the rating news that really stands out: The ESPN broadcast drew the highest rating in Columbus (5.1) with Miami (3.3), Buffalo (3.2), Dayton (2.8) and Washington, D.C. (2.8), rounding out the Top 5 among major cities that tuned in.
UniMas also aired the game in Spanish, but there's no word yet on ratings for the Univision-affiliated network.
