One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Mexico is having a spectacular World Cup run, and Los Angeles is loving it
Jon Huizar and Ameera Asse watch Mexico play Ecuador at a city watch party. Despite Mexico being up 2-0, Huizar said he was nervous until the final whistle.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Listen
4:04
Mexico is having a spectacular World Cup run, and Los Angeles is loving it
Libby Rainey speaks to host Josie Huang ahead of Mexico's Round of 16 match against England today.
Celebrations in Los Angeles began long before the final whistle blew on Tuesday night, when Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 to advance from the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 40 years.
It's Mexico's fourth straight win this tournament. The team hasn't let a single goal in so far. With each victory, a feeling of hopeful glee is growing in Los Angeles, where it's hard to walk a block without spotting a green Mexico jersey.
The crowd at Sycamore Grove Park erupted when Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0, advancing the team to the World Cup's round of 16.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Mexico fans at the city's watch parties are confident that something special is happening this World Cup.
" I think Mexico's going to take it all the way. I have a feeling," said Saul Castro at Sycamore Grove Park, where hundreds gathered Tuesday in a tangle of lawn chairs and picnic blankets to cheer on the team.
Fans in Los Angeles cheer on Mexico in the World Cup
Hundreds gathered at Sycamore Grove Park and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes to watch Mexico defeat Ecuador on Tuesday night.
Fans celebrated in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in a World Cup match.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Maireli Beltran and Saul Castro came to Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park to watch Mexico beat Ecuador at a free city watch party.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
A crowd in Highland Park was all smiles as Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in the World Cup Round of 32.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
A crowd celebrated in Highland Park after Mexico knocked Ecuador out of the World Cup Tuesday evening.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Hundreds gathered at a city watch party in Highland Park to watch Mexico defeat Ecuador.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Hundreds gathered in Highland Park to watch Mexico play Ecuador in the World Cup. The crowd whooped and hollered when Mexico won 2-0.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Hundreds gathered in Highland Park to watch the Mexico-Ecuador match on Tuesday evening.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Hundreds of people gathered at Casa Mexico to watch Mexico defeat Ecuador 2-0 in the World Cup.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Francis Ramirez has a shop on Olvera Street, but business has been slow. So she set up outside Casa Mexico to sell headbands and other paraphernalia to fans.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Vendors kept their eyes on the match while selling bacon-wrapped hotdogs. Kids wrapped in Mexican flags whooped and hollered at the outdoor screen.
Sponsored message
Nearby at a watch party at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Eduardo Reyes was reveling in the crowd. He'd gathered his boyfriend, co-workers and family members to watch the match together.
" We haven't gotten to this point [as] the Mexican team," he said. "I'm pretty excited. We feel the energy, the positivity, and I'm just loving it."
Eduardo Reyes brought his boyfriend, co-workers and family members to Casa Mexico to watch the match. He said he loved seeing people come together in L.A. despite a divisive political climate.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
The line at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, remade as Casa México for the tournament, snaked down the street, and some couldn't fit into the watch party. People on the street were listening to the game on the radio.
Gisel Cruz was selling water and beer to people as they waited to get in. She was also rooting for Mexico, where she has family.
" This is crazy," she said, grinning and observing the crowd. "I like it so much."
Some rallying for Mexico on Tuesday were longtime soccer fans, taught to love the game by family members. Veronica Castro- Aceituno smiled remembering her uncles gathering together to watch soccer when she was a child growing up in Guatemala.
Sponsored message
" They used to play in the barrio," she said. "They will always stop and watch every game, from small ones to big ones."
Veronica Castro-Aceituno poses with her daughter while watching the Mexico-Ecuador match. She grew up watching soccer, and especially loves rooting for the goalkeepers including Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa.
(
Libby Rainey
/
LAist
)
Others cheered for the team to honor their roots. Yesenia Rosales came from Palmdale to watch the match in Los Angeles, her hometown. Her parents left Mexico for the U.S., where they raised her.
" My dad's from Sinaloa, my mom's from Michoacán," she said. "I don't forget where I came from, where my parents came from, how hard they struggled."
Mexico plays its next match Sunday afternoon against England. Los Angeles will undoubtedly be in the streets to cheer the team on, hoping it can continue its spectacular run to the quarterfinals.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
