What is it like to play in Estadio Azteca?

[AreliusII]

By Andrew Monfried


DALLAS (March 24, 2005) USSoccerPlayers - The massive stadium is deafening to the ears from the over 100,000 people wedged in it. The air is arid with smog and pollution that burns your lungs yet with not quite as much refreshing oxygen as you would like.

Welcome to playing soccer in one of the world’s most famous stadiums, Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.

Affectionately known as “the Azteca”, the stadium is the only one to have hosted two World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986. It is the main stadium used by the Mexican national team and most of the soccer clubs based in Mexico City like Club America and Atlante. In fact, there are giant Club America emblems painted behind the goals.

The Azteca is unique, even in Mexico because of its structure and natural advantages. Outside of the mountainous regions of central Mexico, stadiums are at normal altitude especially as you get closer to the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean like the Luis Pirata Fuentes in Veracruz or Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara.

In the increasingly creative fun of gamesmanship in North American soccer, why would you want to play where your opponent would be comfortable?

Some other fun facts:


The stadium was built in 1966 and is officially known as the Guillermo Caneda Stadium for the long-time leader of the Mexican Football Federation who was instrumental in having the stadium constructed. It is also unofficially known as the “Coloseo de Santa Ursula", after the Catholic tradition of attaching saints' names to significant monuments or structures

Not only does it host soccer, but also concerts and NFL football. Pope John Paul II even conducted mass there in 1999.

Its intimidating reputation is not undeserved since Costa Rica was the first team to ever win a World Cup qualifier there in 2001 ending a streak of 52 straight qualifying wins there.

In fact, Mexico has played 156 matches in Mexico City since 1923 and lost just ten times. Brazil, Spain, and Peru are the only teams to do it twice.

The U.S. has never won in eight appearances in Mexico, but they did hold “El Tri” to a scoreless draw in 1997 in World Cup Qualifying with just 10-men. Their performance in that game was so respected by the Mexican fans that they rooted for the U.S. in the second half of the game.
So what’s the problem?

For that explanation, we go to two US players who know their way around the Azteca. We asked the US all-time greats, Eric Wynalda and John Harkes, who played there five times in their international careers to put into words the experience of playing there.

Breathing

Mexico City is located at an altitude where the air is thinner and there is less oxygen available to breathe. It’s a huge physical problem for opposing players to get over, and it causes conditioning problems as the game goes on. Mexican players are used to the air and often have the advantage over teams unaccustomed to it. What players can come down with is Altitude Sickness that leads to breathing problems, confusion and extreme fatigue. When your lungs, brain and cells are not getting oxygen, you are going to have problems. The condition does go away for a few days and it makes for an unpleasant trip much less running around for 90 minutes in 90 degree heat.

However, two methods have been used over the years by various national team coaches to combat the problem. One is to arrive less than 24 hours before the game and leave right after the game before the symptoms get to you. This was done before the last US qualifier there in 2001.

The other method is to acclimate your lungs to high altitude. Prior to the 1998 World Cup, the US trained in Denver, Colorado and Big Bear, California to approximate the conditions. This year, they’ve taken that same strategy to prepare, training in Colorado Springs for several weeks.

“The best way to prepare is to actually train a week or so prior to the game in similar conditions if possible. While qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, we trained at Big Bear, California and I have to say that it certainly helped us. The smog could not be assimilated though,” said Harkes, a former US captain.

“Players have different thoughts on when to arrive before the game. I think it works to go in the day before and get a good sleep, play, then get out of there.” Either way, there is always a trusty oxygen tank located behind the bench for players to use, and they often do.

“Azteca is like a bad dream where you forget how to run,” commented Wynalda. “The conditions are so severe that players find themselves simply trying to breathe and could care less about thinking their way through the game. I’ve seen players cough up black chunks, get nose bleeds, cough up blood, pass out, get delirious - you name it. I actually don't remember being substituted in the 70 something minute because I had no idea where I was. That was in the 0-0 game where we were forced to play with ten men for 68 minutes. I lasted about 50 at left midfield. I have no idea how the other guys survived that game.”

The noise:

Mexican fans are some of the most passionate in the world, and when you put 110,000 of them together, they get downright loud. The lower bowl and club levels of the Azteca hold as many people as a regular stadium, but the key to the stadium is the upper deck. Three-quarters of the fans in attendance sit in the massive upper deck. While they may not be particularly close to the field, the rim around the top of the stadium extends over the majority of the upper deck trapping the noise in. This is a very similar process in how the new Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. works as well as many European stadiums. Trap the noise in, and it creates a deafening experience.

“It’s very intimidating for first timers, and for players with experience in the infamous Azteca, it is still hard to communicate because of the sound that is produced by their very supportive fans,” said Harkes. “However, if you are able to score first and silence the crowd, then you have a better chance of being in control more of the game. When we played down there and got a draw with 10 men, the crowd actually swayed to support us.”

“Playing in front of 120,000 fans isn’t the problem with Azteca stadium,” added Wynalda. “They actually sound likes bees. It’s a constant hum that seemed to echo throughout the stadium whether there are people there or not. The fans are loud but nothing any different then other stadiums.”

How it affects the way you play:

OK, so you can’t breathe, can’t hear and you are baking in the midday sun. Yes, if you check the schedule, Mexico plays most of their games during the day often at noon. This Sunday is no exception. When you are very close to the equator, the sun is directly over your head. You have problems, not the least of which is Mexico who are used to playing in those conditions.

EW: The smog and the altitude are the biggest problems with that stadium. If your lungs aren't ready for that kind of shock to the system, you will definitely be at a disadvantage.

Mentally you have to be strong. The stadium is not intimidating, at least to me. The fact that you cannot function normally after about 20 minutes is the most frustrating part about Azteca. Say whatever you like about the Mexican team, but without that stadium being located where it is, would not have such an easy time getting through the qualification process.

JH: It does change the way you approach the game, because no matter how fit or conditioned you are for the game, the smog does affect you. There are some days better than others, but when you make runs in that stadium, it seems to take a bit longer to recover. I would have to say that it is in my top five hardest stadiums in the world to get a result in. It is an incredible adrenaline rush to be playing with such a huge crowd and one has to be careful not to lose focus and lose confidence. If you stay together and work together as a team than you can be successful. If that is broken, than it will be a long day.

Certainly, it’s the toughest place to get a result in North America. I did thrive on playing there though. As a player, you have to love the excitement and atmosphere created in that stadium.

[Rover]

Of course, El Tri has to play in all that too . . .

[Jose Luis Luviano]

This is Nitpicky, but the Estadio Jalisco is about at the same elevation as Tooele. That's a "normal altitude" for us, but maybe not for someone who lives at Sea Level.

"Santa Ursula" is the neighborhood where the Azteca is located. So the stadium was named after the neighborhood and the neighborhood was named after a saint.

That being said, this was a great article.

Go ahead and Bad Rep me, but I predict that Mexico will treat us like rats and idiots................

[Aero]

Originally Posted by Jose Luis Luviano

Go ahead and Bad Rep me, but I predict that Mexico will treat us like rats and idiots................

The fans or the soccer team? 😉

[jasoncox]

Originally Posted by Jose Luis Luviano

This is Nitpicky, but the Estadio Jalisco is about at the same elevation as Tooele. That's a "normal altitude" for us, but maybe not for someone who lives at Sea Level.

"Santa Ursula" is the neighborhood where the Azteca is located. So the stadium was named after the neighborhood and the neighborhood was named after a saint.

That being said, this was a great article.

Go ahead and Bad Rep me, but I predict that Mexico will treat us like rats and idiots................

I was wondering if that was you...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/mexico_v_usa/newsid_2049000/2049229.stm

Back in Mexico millions of fans stayed up through the night to watch the game.

And defeat was hard to take against a country they view with much ill-feeling.

"It hurts us here," said Mexico fan Jose Luis Luviano.

"There has to be an end to this disgrace where they (Americans) treat us like rats and idiots."

'It hurts us here,' Jose Luis Luviano, a fan in Mexico City, said as he punched his chest. Tears melted the Mexican flags painted on his cheeks. 'There has to be an end to this disgrace where (Americans) treat us like rats and idiots.'

Remind me... Which side are you on again? 🙂

[Jose Luis Luviano]

I see that you found my Start Up page and my wallpaper...............

I am 0-2 for US - Mexico games that I have seen in person (97 US Cup with Mike Burns and 99 US Cup with CJ Brown).

So I am always going to be pessimistic.

I like to bring up Columbus & Jeonju whenever I can.

But Mexico isn't chopped liver. More of their players could play in Europe. The results in the Libertadores Cup & the Copa America confirm that. But why take a pay cut & play in the snow in a place where no one knows how to make mole poblano?

Sure, Mexico is helping us out by bringing back over the hill head case Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

But they cleaned house after Jeonju & we will be facing some guys who are pretty tough (Fonseca, Not Your Father's Hugo Sanchez and of course, Lavolpe)

[Rover]

Maybe I've been following World Cup qualifying too long (I first really paid attention to Team America back in 1989 for Italia '90), but I just don't get worked up about these games.

The Hexagonal is a grind--ten games over 9-10 months, with away games in CONCACAF being notoriously tough (bad fields/bad weather/fan-powered projectile target practice), and no easy games. But no game is all important either, except games 8-10 if you've not picked up points in the previous seven.

Of the six teams, three will secure Deutschland 2006 spots and a fourth gets a playoff series to make it in. That's the goal. Get to the World Cup. The rest, like what we've been hearing out of Mexico City, is for show.

Yes, it's a little boring, but the old formula is tried and true--win at home, draw on the road, and you're headed to the World Cup.

Odds are the U.S. will wear down against a Mexico team (and coach) that have focused all their energy on this game. They took care of business in Costa Rica, and a win against us will mean they're in great position to qualify. So the conditions (but also the pressure) are with Mexico. They should win.

But the "revenge" stuff is hilarious. How many "revenge" games do they get? I thought Houston was going to be revenge, but we drew. Then Dallas . . . but we won. If they win, does that count for Jeonju AND Dallas? Or does the revenge thing carry over? Sounds to me like they need to lighten up.

We've knocked them out of two World Cups (1934, 2002) and they've knocked us out of . . . none. It's going to take more than one game to provide catharsis for that.