OAKLAND — On Facebook and in group chats with fellow Mexican-American immigrants, Luis Ortega saw rumors and messages urging to exercise caution.

He ignored them. Clearly, so did thousands of other festive soccer fans, dressed in a sea of red, green and white, who partied well into the night inside and out of the Oakland Coliseum.

Amid a federal immigration crackdown, the Mexican national team’s tour stop in Oakland on Saturday — that ended in a 0-0 draw against Japan — drew some concern that such a concentrated gathering could become a target for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“It’s not gonna happen here,” Ortega said, confidently, amid tailgaters before the match.

He was right.

There was little trepidation among the announced crowd of 45,278 — a sellout — but lots of celebration. And even more tequila.

For supporters of El Tri, the team’s first visit to Oakland since 2011 offered them potentially their only chance to see their squad leading up to next year’s World Cup.

While the tournament will come to Santa Clara, those matches are unlikely to feature the Mexicans, who will either play in Estadio Azteca or Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium if they emerge from the first stage in the top two in Group A, as expected.

The friendly against Japan, the first team to qualify, served as a warmup for Mexico, riding the momentum of first-place finishes in the Gold Cup and Nations League. The Japanese, ranked 17th in the world, provided a high-level opponent — and a test for Javier Aguirre’s 13th-ranked squad, which made a surprising exit in the group stage from the 2022 tournament.

Soccer fans walk past a vendor in the parking lot before a friendly soccer match between Mexico and Japan at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Eddie Aguayo, from San Leandro, joked that the team was on “probation” for him. But that didn’t stop him from rounding up a group of 25 or 30 friends from their hometown in Jalisco, Mexico. No matter where El Tri plays in 2026, he said, “I’ve gotta go.”

It’s the year he is set to retire as a construction worker, and he offered a two-word answer when asked about President Donald Trump’s embrace of the tournament, which is being hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Trump announced last month that the draw for the tournament will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5.

“(Expletive) Trump,” Aguayo said. “We’re building America. It’s sad. I’ve got friends, family who don’t have papers. But they pay taxes. If they pay taxes, they should give them a chance.”

When it came to the threat of ICE, the location of this friendly — in the Bay Area — represented somewhat of a haven in comparison to Los Angeles, where there have been widespread immigration raids since Trump took office.

One vendor named Maria, who asked only to be identified by her first name, hoped to make $1,500 hawking all sorts of apparel in Mexican colors. Hundreds of others had everything from tacos, micheladas and fresh fruit for sale to the trendy Labubu dolls.

She made the drive from Los Angeles and said she felt safer doing business in the Coliseum parking lot than outside El Traffico, the rivalry match between LAFC and the Los Angeles Galaxy, one locale she’s been operating at for the past five years.

Mayor Barbara Lee reassured fans a day before the match.

“We do not cooperate with ICE,” she said. “We have our challenges, yes, but we have such opportunity. And this is a weekend of opportunity. People should be joyful, not worried. Even though I know that the anxiety is here.”

At one point, Aguayo interrupted the interview to take a photo with five men in red spandex suits, dressed as the traditional Mexican superhero El Chapulin. Waterfalls of tequila flowed from enough bottles to lose count, including those in Aguayo’s group.

Alameda County Sheriff deputies patrol the parking lot before a friendly soccer match between Mexico and Japan at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

It was almost easy to forget there was another team, whose supporters are also well-represented among the Bay Area’s demographics. Not for Aguayo, though.

Every Japan fan dressed in a blue jersey who passed by their tent got a flow of silver agave liquor poured into their mouths. Inside, Japanese supporters were outnumbered about 10 to 1.

“I think it’s wonderful to see our Mexican fellow citizens show up in big droves to support their team,” said Kentaro Matsuura, who was born in Okayama, Japan, and now lives in Burlingame.

Wearing a national team jersey he purchased in 1995, Matsuura brought with him his wife and their three kids — aged 8, 6 and 2 — who weren’t yet born the last time he got to see his team in person.

“It’s pretty special,” he said. “It’s like a once-in-a-decade type of thing.”

Ortega, who has lived in the shadows of the Coliseum since moving from Nayarit, Mexico, in 1992, said Oakland needed more days like these after the departures of three pro sports teams.

Soccer fans walk past vendor tents in the parking lot before a friendly soccer match between Mexico and Japan at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Related Articles

Bay FC drops fourth straight game with loss to NWSL-leading Kansas City Current

Oakland Roots played ‘instrumental’ role in drawing Mexico-Japan friendly to Coliseum

Germany stunned by Slovakia in historic World Cup qualifying loss. Spain and Belgium win

Landon Donovan tops San Jose Sports Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

World Cup tickets initially to cost $60-$6,730 but could fluctuate with dynamic pricing

“We used to have these kinds of events before, when we had the Warriors, the A’s, the Raiders,” he said. “Oakland, hey, we’ve gotta unite. The communities have to unite in Oakland.”

Aguirre, the Mexican head coach, summed up the experience in one word: “Fantastico.”

“I would have liked to give the fans a win,” he said. “But the area has been great, the training facilities (in Alameda), the hotel (in downtown Oakland), it all was terrific.”

That said, coming back to California next year hasn’t crossed his mind.

“I don’t want to think about it,” he grinned. “Mexico, Mexico.”

Mexico’s Jorge Sánchez (2) battles Japan’s Kauro Mitoma (7) for the ball during the first half of a friendly soccer match at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Mexico fans cheer for their team during the second half of a friendly soccer match at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Mexico and Japan ended the game with a 0-0 tie. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
A vendor sells merchandise in the parking lot before a friendly soccer match between Mexico and Japan at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)