MEXICO CITY -- For most visiting teams, coming out in attack mode against El Tri at Estadio Azteca is a very bad idea.

There's the altitude, for starters. The iconic venue sits 7,200 feet above sea level, and the thin air has a way of making even the fittest players gassed well before 90 minutes are up.

There's also one of the best 12th men in world soccer: the 100,000-plus green-white-and-red-clad fans who have helped the hosts lose just one World Cup qualifying match at the Azteca ever, against Costa Rica in 2001.

And then there's the fact that Mexico is the top-ranked team in the CONCACAF region, one that after two ties will be desperate to win when it takes on the U.S. in a qualifier for Brazil 2014 here Tuesday night (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, WatchESPN.com).

So with the odds stacked against them -- the Yanks are 0-12-1 all-time in games that count in Mexico City -- you might anticipate a defense-first game plan from Jurgen Klinsmann. No chance, says the U.S. coach.