Every time Mexico’s national soccer team comes to Los Angeles, it’s a fiesta.
A huge fiesta.
More than 90,000 futbol fans are expected to pack the L.A. Memorial Coliseum today for Mexico’s first game of the year, an international friendly against Ecuador (6:30 p.m.; ESPN 2, Univision). With a roster that features Real Madrid’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Villarreal’s Giovani and Jonathan Dos Santos, Mexico coach Miguel Herrera called in many of last year’s World Cup heroes and a few of the country’s most promising young players, too.
Mexico has set lofty goals for this year. They are on record as saying they expect to win this summer’s Gold Cup — the region’s most important international tournament — and at least reach the semifinals of Copa America. They also want to do all of this with two squads, one for each tournament.
Building up depth and chemistry will be Herrera’s biggest undertaking between now and July, when the Gold Cup kicks off. The emergence of Jonathan Dos Santos at Villarreal could be key for Mexico.
Dos Santos had always been viewed as a promising player, but he struggled to find minutes with Barcelona’s main team. The 24-year-old playmaker has blossomed, however, playing for The Yellow Submarines alongside his older brother, Giovani.
Similar to Mexico, Ecuador is hoping to enjoy a big 2015. After qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, they want to build on that momentum ahead of this year’s Copa America, the most important international tournament in South America. Ecuador’s roster features Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, West Ham United’s Enner Valencia and Swansea City’s Jefferson Montero.
‘Mini-Super Bowl’
Fever to see El Tri play in person is no longer contained to just Southern California.
“Anywhere Mexico goes it’s a big game nowadays,” said Gabriel Gabor, Mexico’s press officer in the U.S. “It’s the Futbol Fiesta, the sponsors, the fans waiting outside the hotel when players arrive– Every game is like a mini-Super Bowl.”
Next month, Mexico will take on the U.S. national team in San Antonio at the Alamodome. That game sold out back in February. In Orlando, soccer officials are hoping a friendly between Mexico and Costa Rica in June is a sellout too.
“The draw of the Mexican national team is significant,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel. “There is a reason they were the inaugural event at the new Cowboys Stadium. There is a reason the Mexican national team was the inaugural event at the new MetLife Stadium. They are major sporting events and they draw fans.”
Big media turnout
More than 60 media members flew in from Mexico to cover this game. Approximately 450 credential requests were submitted overall.
Last time
Today’s game is labeled a “friendly,” but the game may not be so friendly. The last time these teams met was just before last year’s World Cup at AT&T Stadium in Texas. The game, which Mexico won 3-1, featured a gruesome injury that forced one of Mexico’s player to miss the World Cup and put another player’s status in jeopardy. As they say in soccer, this one could get chippy.
