LOS ANGELES — Stores have seemed emptier, and so have the roads. And so did football– er, futbol stadium.
After drawing crowds of 72,963 and 68,212 in its previous two matches at SoFi Stadium, the Mexican national team played to far fewer fans Saturday night in its 3-2 CONCACAF Gold Cup opening victory over the Dominican Republic.
The upper deck was almost totally empty and nary a row of seats was fully filled. The announced attendance was 54,309 – but still, the press box shook when Edson Álvarez scored Mexico’s first goal in the 44th minute and then again when Raúl Jiménez scored in the 47th.
Sandra Godinez, an American with Mexican roots, was one of the supporters who decided to attend – it was her way of showing solidarity, said the San Fernando Valley resident: “Got to stand behind my people.”
But not without deliberating first. “I hope ICE stays away,” she said of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that cast a shadow over the match without even operating on the premises.
Days straight of seeing images you can’t unsee and absorbing all the accounts of seemingly indiscriminate immigration raids carried out by masked, unnamed men will give people pause.
It gave Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum reason to urge U.S. officials not to target individuals attending the match: “We call for no action from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
And it gave thousands of people throughout L.A. and across the country motivation to take to the streets in protest Saturday – but a lot of Mexican soccer fans reason to stay away from their team’s game that night.
“It sucks,” said Alex, a pink-haired, born-and-raised Angeleno whose parents immigrated from Mexico. “It really does.”
Getting in and parking was weirdly a breeze, and instead of the smells of carne asada wafting from barbecues in the parking lot, the expanse of asphalt stood quiet and relatively empty a couple hours before kickoff.
Did I notice, asked Eddie, an American El Tri fan from Santa Cruz, how young fans – more of them being American-born – outnumbered older fans?
“With all the stuff that’s going on, we’re going to see a little bit of a younger crowd,” he said. “Because their parents are going to tend to stick home and probably watch the game from TV.”
Because here we had this beautiful game, this global game, visiting us in Inglewood and it didn’t feel safe for many of the teams’ fans to be there.
Talkin’ about: Unwelcome to L.A.?
How are we supposed to host World Cup matches next year in an environment like this?
How the heck do we pull off an Olympics – that ancient event whose entire purpose it to “build a peaceful and better world in the Olympic Spirit which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play” – if in 2028 fans from near and far have it in the back of their minds that they could be swept up in an ICE action?
Yeah, boo. Hard boo.
“It’s tough what people are going through,” said Riverside resident Juan Martinez, who was there with his brother, Jose – both of them fans of both Mexican and U.S. soccer.
“I hope nothing bad happens in the World Cup,” Juan said. “It’s going to be a major international event I know it’s going to be scrutinized big time, but I just I just hope that everything settles and someone figures out a way to come out positively out of this turmoil that we’re going through.”
He mentioned the chill caused by ICE’s announcement that it would be “suited and booted” at Miami’s Club World Cup game on Saturday; tickets to that match reportedly plunged from $350 to as low as $20 in some cases.
And definitely, he said, “keep the sport events and the political stuff separate.”
It’s prestigious to get picked to put on those kinds of major sporting events. An honor. A responsibility.
Also, a showcase to display for the world our best selves, which around here includes our Mexican neighbors and friends and family.
Immigration sweeps week has been traumatic in a different way than January’s destructive fires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades were. But similar to how everyone knew someone who was directly affected by that disaster, around here, we all also know – and care about – immigrants in our lives who now have to think twice about attending a soccer match.
“And who came to help put out the fires?” Godinez asked, remembering 72 specific firefighters who reported to L.A. on Jan. 11. “Mexicans! They volunteered to put out the fires. Because, as the community, like to bring people in. It’s in our nature to bring everybody in. We go out of our way to make sure everybody’s fed first and foremost. And just if you need help, we help.”
Is it too much to hope that a soccer result can help do something to cheer up a city embroiled in federally funded chaos? To lift the spirits for a fan like Godinez, who understands that L.A. — no, that America – should champion itself as a multicultural “melting pot.”
“Hopefully, we win today,” said Godinez before kickoff, a Mexican flag wrapped around her shoulders. “And I hope it’s a nice wholesome match. And on our way out, let’s hope that nobody has any issues or any run-ins that we don’t want.”
Related Articles
Angel City FC concedes stoppage-time goal to North Carolina in home loss USMNT aims to rebound at Gold Cup amid mounting pressure Galaxy give up late goal in draw with St. Louis FIFA Club World Cup: What you need to know about the $1 billion tournament Mexico to open CONCACAF Gold Cup, but recent immigration raids might keep fans away Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Swanson: Fears of ICE raids raise concerns with Mexico’s passionate fans )
Also on site :
- 'LPBW's Tori Roloff Rocks Chic Black Dress for 'Date Night' in New Video
- Russia’s strong ties with both Israel and Iran could help it emerge as a power broker
- NYT ‘Connections’ Hints and Answers Today, Sunday, June 15