Mexico, Brazil deliver fiesta at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- June 9, 2024
Mexico, Brazil deliver festive atmosphere, entertaining game
COLLEGE STATION – The small carts grilling Mexican hot dogs were impossible to miss late Saturday night outside Kyle Field. At least a dozen carts were lined just outside the exits, greeting hungry fans with one last taste of Mexico on a night unlike any ever seen at Texas A&M’s football stadium.
The largest stadium in Texas played host to its first international soccer match. Inside and outside Kyle Field, the festive atmosphere lived up to Texas A&M’s storied standards.
Even the action on the field lived up to the hype as Mexico and Brazil entertained the crowd of 85,249 until the final whistle. The crowd was the third largest in the history of Mexico’s MexTour. El Tri rallied late to reward its loyal fans somewhat in defeat.
Brazil 3, Mexico 2. The five-time World Cup champions dominated Mexico early, but El Tri rallied late in the second half to excite the pro-Mexico crowd.
The crowd was the largest to see a MexTour game in Texas, where El Tri has also played at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium.
Kyle Field scores
El Tri and its fans were right at home on the campus of Texas A&M, the largest Hispanic Serving Institution in America. The scene was drastically different from college football Saturdays, though.
Aggie Plaza was converted into a true football fiesta with Mexico’s green-clad fans dancing to Mexican music. Wearing Brazil’s famous bright yellow jersey, Brazil fans danced with Mexico fans.
Texas A&M’s beloved maroon was replaced with Mexico’s green and Brazil’s yellow throughout the Kyle Field stands. Although the crowd was clearly pro-Mexico, Brazil’s Seleção Canarinha had a large following as well.
Brazil jumped on Mexico in the fifth minute and eventually carried a 2-0 lead into halftime. El Tri awoke in the second half, though. Mexico tied the score at 2 in the second minute of stoppage time with Guillermo Martinez’s goal.
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Unfortunately for El Tri, Brazil countered four minutes later. Endrick Felipe Sousa capped the scoring to give Brazil a 3-2 victory in the final tune-up for both teams ahead of Copa America.
“I’m proud of what we did today,” Mexican coach Jaime Lozano said. “The team is united, at ease. I think we will get there.”
The international friendly was more than just a tune-up for Copa America, the South American championships that will be held in the United States this year. It was also an opportunity for Texas A&M’s Kyle Field to host international soccer for the first time.
Azteca on the Brazos
Much of the international media was in awe of Kyle Field, the sixth largest stadium in the world and the largest in Texas. The atmosphere was unlike any other ever at Kyle Field. There were dozens of street vendors throughout the stadium. Some folks sold Mexican paletas from carts. Others sold doritos drenched in lemon and hot sauce.
You couldn’t walk 20 feet without somebody offering to sell you a Mexican or Brazilian flag. At least a dozen folks were selling Mexican and Brazilian jerseys, which appeared to be knockoffs.
If you didn’t look at the War Hymn monument, the Yell Leader monument or the E. King Gill monument, you could almost imagine yourself outside Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.
To be clear, this was first and foremost an important test for Mexico.
“We know that with a rival of this hierarchy, you cannot give a second,” Mexico midfielder Luis Romo said. “This was a great learning experience. I think it will also help us to take from this.”
On the field, El Tri didn’t earn the victory. But the 3-2 loss was a much better result than the rout Mexico suffered against Uruguay earlier in the week.
Looking at the bigger picture, though, it was clear that Kyle Field and Central Texas are ready for big time international soccer.
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer José de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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