In recent times, supporting Mexico’s national soccer team has become a source of frustration for many dedicated fans. For many, becoming a fan of El Tri is a tradition passed down through families, often starting in childhood. For Mexican Americans, proudly wearing the green jersey used to be a powerful and immediate symbol of their heritage and national pride.
However, in recent years, the team’s performance has been deeply disappointing. The 2022 FIFA World Cup saw Mexico fail to advance from the group stage for the first time since 1978. Furthermore, defeats against their biggest rival, the United States, in the 2023 and March 2024 Nations League matches have only deepened concerns about the team’s trajectory.
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The situation reached a critical point after Mexico’s underwhelming performance at the 2024 Copa America. Scoring only one goal in three matches and exiting early, prompted sports analysts to suggest that the most optimistic goal for the team at the 2026 World Cup, which Mexico will co-host with the U.S. and Canada, is simply to avoid national embarrassment.
What makes this decline particularly concerning is the apparent lack of substantive efforts from the Mexican Football Federation to improve the team’s performance. Instead, the focus seems to be heavily skewed towards maximizing financial gains from the large Mexican fan base residing in the United States.
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Yon de Luisa, former president of the Mexican Football Federation, openly acknowledged this strategy in 2022, stating, “For us, the U.S. market is part of our home market because we have about 40 million of our people in the U.S. And in terms of purchasing capacity, you can expect that the 40 million in the U.S. has way bigger purchasing capacity than the 120 million in Mexico.” This statement highlights a clear prioritization of “pocho dollars” over the team’s performance and potentially, the loyalty of fans within Mexico.
This business-oriented approach has been evident for the past two decades. El Tri has consistently played more games in the United States than on home soil. They routinely fill large NFL stadiums across the U.S. by scheduling friendly matches against less competitive teams. This strategy has also attracted numerous lucrative brand partnerships with major corporations like Adidas, Home Depot, Wells Fargo, and AT&T.
“This fan base is very loyal,” Pablo Zarate, vice president at Soccer United Marketing, commented in June. SUM, owned by Major League Soccer, manages and promotes Mexico’s friendly matches in the U.S. and negotiates brand deals for the Federation. Zarate further noted, “On top of consuming matches and news about the team, fans also feel a close association with the brands that are partners in the Mexican National Team’s journey. It is unique in sports.”
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Regardless of wins or losses, Mexican soccer in the U.S. remains a highly profitable enterprise. However, this intense commercialization raises questions about the genuine connection between the team and its fans. It’s difficult to feel like a valued supporter when a significant aspect of ethnic identity is openly discussed in purely transactional terms. For many long-time fans, it feels less like fandom and more like being treated as a consumer base.
There is a potential shift in fan sentiment, suggesting that many are also questioning this increasingly unbalanced relationship with El Tri. Recently, two friendly matches played by Mexico in the U.S. experienced notably low attendance. A game against New Zealand at the Rose Bowl drew only 25,271 spectators in a stadium capable of holding 90,000. Despite a 3-0 victory, it was one of the lowest attended Mexico matches in the U.S. in the last decade.
While some attributed the low turnout to extreme heat in Southern California, a subsequent match against Canada at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, also suffered from poor attendance. The 0-0 draw attracted only 32,623 fans. According to the Dallas Morning News, this was the smallest crowd for a Mexico game at AT&T Stadium since 2009, where average attendance for previous matches was around 67,373.
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These figures suggest a growing discontent among fans. For some, like the author, there’s even a sense of schadenfreude in these low attendance numbers, reflecting a shared frustration with the team’s current direction.
For now, a break from supporting the team seems necessary for some disillusioned fans. Storing away jerseys and memorabilia symbolizes this distancing. Whether El Tri can reverse its current trajectory and regain fan support remains to be seen. Until significant changes occur, many fans are choosing to withhold their financial support and emotional investment.
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