The Mexican national soccer team returns to Los Angeles but in difficult and uncertain times for its supporters.
Mexico kicks off the CONCACAF Gold Cup against the Dominican Republic on Saturday night at SoFi Stadium (7:15 p.m., FS1, TUDN). The defending tournament champions are returning to a place that has been kind to them in the past, but many fans might stay away because of the continuous immigration raids around Los Angeles.
The national team arrived in town after Tuesday’s exhibition win in North Carolina. Before arriving, the team changed its hotel from Downtown L.A. to Long Beach.
Mexican midfielder Edson Alvarez, who plays for West Ham United in the English Premier League, posted a message, in Spanish, of support to the fans on his Instagram page. Translated, it says: “I want to send a message of respect and solidarity to all the Latino families in Los Angeles who are facing difficult times today, especially to my Mexican family. I admire your courage, your work, and your love for moving forward. We are with you. Don’t lose faith.”
Coach Javier Aguirre didn’t have anything to say when asked about the events when the club was in North Carolina, saying that he’s not a “spokesman for Mexican immigrants in the U.S.” which drew the anger of media and fans.
Which is a much different tone from when Aguirre led Mexico to the Nations League championship in March, with ESPN saying that “Mexico’s MVP right now has to be Aguirre.”
At Friday’s pre-tournament press conference, before Aguirre sat down, the moderator said Aguirre was only going to talk about “football” at this time.
Mexico has always been the big draw in L.A., filling the Coliseum, to now drawing large crowds at SoFi Stadium. The team played has played to crowds of 70,000-plus in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup title game victory over Panama (72,963) and last year in the Copa America against Venezuela (72,773). In March, Mexico’s Nations League final against Panama drew 68,212.
It remains to be seen what Saturday’s attendance figure will be. Early in the week, officials said a crowd of close to 50,000 was expected, but with the uncertainty of more immigration raids, many might choose to stay away.
Pancho’s Villa Army, one of the national teams largest supporter groups, said in a statement that it was not attending the game and canceled all scheduled events due to the current protest, adding that the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution and respect for the safety of our community, fans and staff. We stand in solidarity with the voices demanding justice and change. We believe it is important to give all the attention to the ongoing movement it deserves.”
On Friday, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum urged U.S. officials not to target individuals attending the match and said she didn’t believe any raids will take place.
“We don’t believe that at any soccer match there will be any (immigration) action,” she said. “We call for none to be taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Early this week the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said in a tweet, that it would be “suited and booted” at the Club World Cup matches. The Rose Bowl is hosting six games in FIFA’s tournament, beginning Sunday.
The Dominican Republic qualified for the tournament, winning all six matches in League B of the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League, sweeping against Bermuda, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda.
After the game, Mexico heads to Arlington, Texas to continue group play against Suriname (on Wednesday) and then to Las Vegas for its final group game against Costa Rica (June 22).
Mexico leads the way with nine Gold Cup championships. The United States is second with seven. Canada is the only other nation with a title, which came back in 2000.
