Soccer fans in Commerce City, Colorado are gearing up for an exciting international friendly as the Mexican national team, affectionately known as El Tri, prepares to clash with Bolivia at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. This highly anticipated match, scheduled for Tuesday, marks the third occasion in the last eight years that Mexico’s national squad will grace the home turf of the Colorado Rapids, promising a thrilling encounter for local supporters.
El Tri arrives in Commerce City fresh off a scoreless draw against Chile last Saturday at the state-of-the-art Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. A significant crowd of 67,000 spectators witnessed the match, which unfortunately saw Mexico’s Giovani Dos Santos exit prematurely due to injury in the 66th minute. His availability for Tuesday’s contest remains uncertain. Adding to Mexico’s concerns, Francisco Rodriguez was also substituted at halftime, casting doubt over his fitness for the Bolivia game.
Bolivia, on the other hand, heads to Colorado seeking redemption after a disappointing 4-0 defeat to Ecuador on Saturday night at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Ecuador’s dominant second-half performance, highlighted by goals from Enner Valencia and Junior Sornoza, underscored Bolivia’s challenges as they look to regroup for this upcoming friendly.
The kickoff at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the regular home of Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, is set for 8 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT). Fans interested in attending can find ticket information online.
SPECIAL TICKET DEAL: For fans eager to maximize their soccer experience, a special two-pack offer is available. This package includes a corner ticket to the Mexico vs. Bolivia match and a South Endline seat for the Rapids’ game against the San Jose Earthquakes on September 27, all for just $65. For purchases or further details, interested individuals can contact a sales representative at 303-825-GOAL.
Leading Mexico into this friendly is the charismatic coach Miguel Herrera. Herrera, who captured global attention during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with his exuberant touchline celebrations, took charge of a Mexican team that narrowly qualified for the tournament. He successfully steered El Tri to the knockout stage, becoming a media sensation and one of the most photographed coaches of the World Cup.
Herrera’s extensive background in Mexican soccer is noteworthy. A veteran of 380 appearances in the Mexican professional league, primarily with Atlante and Neza during the 1990s, Herrera, a former defender, also represented Mexico in the 1993 Copa America. His coaching career includes two stints managing Atlante and, most recently, guiding Club America to their 11th Mexican League championship in 2013.
Mexico’s journey to the 2014 World Cup was fraught with challenges. After a lackluster two-year World Cup qualifying campaign, their qualification seemed improbable following their final qualifying match. However, a dramatic turn of events unfolded when the USA, in a match where they didn’t need the points, scored two late goals against Panama. This unexpected result revitalized Mexico’s World Cup aspirations, opening the door for Herrera to lead them through a play-off series against New Zealand to secure their place in Brazil.
The subsequent headlines across Mexico echoed the nation’s gratitude, proclaiming “Thank you America,” acknowledging Coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s USA team for indirectly facilitating Mexico’s World Cup berth.
Bolivia’s coach, Xabier Azkargorta, is currently focused on building a competitive squad for the 2015 Copa America hosted by Chile. “La Verde,” as the Bolivian national team is known, faced a tough match against No. 21-ranked Ecuador, being outshot 13-5. In that game, Azkargorta fielded 19-year-old Pedro Azogue in the forward line, indicating a strategy of integrating and evaluating new talent within the national setup. The match against Ecuador was Bolivia’s first international fixture since a pre-World Cup friendly loss to Greece in June.
Bolivia is in a phase of rebuilding and aims to rediscover the form that propelled them to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States. That squad, spearheaded by Marco Etcheverry, who later became a Major League Soccer star with D.C. United, competed in Group C of the tournament. Bolivia notably challenged Germany in their opening match, narrowly losing 1-0 in Chicago. Subsequent results included a 0-0 draw with South Korea and a 3-1 defeat to Spain, concluding their 1994 World Cup campaign. Bolivia also hosted the 1997 Copa America, where they achieved a commendable second-place finish, losing to Brazil in the final.
Flashback: Mexico 5, Bolivia 1 (March 11, 2009, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park): Bolivia will be particularly motivated to overturn the memory of their last encounter at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, a resounding 5-1 defeat to Mexico. This match occurred as Mexico was commencing their qualification journey for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The dominant victory for Mexico ended a prior five-game losing streak.
In that 2009 match, goals from Vicente Vuoso (2), Leandro Agusto, Sergio Santana (penalty), and Jose Maria Cardenas secured Mexico’s win. Bolivia played a portion of the game with ten men. Bolivia’s solitary goal was a moment of individual brilliance from Didi Torrico in the 68th minute, who skillfully evaded three defenders before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Ochoa is expected to be back in goal for Mexico in Tuesday’s friendly.
Mexico’s Lineup vs. Chile (March 2014): Guillermo Ochoa; Paul Aguilar, Francisco Rodriguez (Hugo Ayala 46′), Miguel Herrera, Oswaldo Alanis, Miguel Ponce (Miguel Layún 65′), Hector Herrera (Javier Aquino 74′), Jose Juan Vazquez (Antonio Ríos Martínez 70′), Andres Guardado (Marco Fabian 80′), Oribe Peralta, Giovani Dos Santos (Javier Orozco 66′).
Bolivia’s Lineup vs. Ecuador (March 2014): Romel Quinonez; Ronald Raldés, Alejandro Melean, Ramiro Ballivian (Danny Bejarano 46′), Marvin Bejarano; Ronald Equino, Raúl Castro (Rudy Cardozo 63′), Gualberto Mojica (Leandro Maygua 46′), José Chavez (Alejandro Chumacero 76′); Carlos Saucedo (Daniel Chávez 46′), Pedro Azogue (Rodrigo Ramallo 46′).
Past International Friendlies at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park: (List omitted as it’s not directly relevant to the core task of rewriting and focusing on “mexico vs bolivia” and optimizing the article itself).
