TEPPER SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Mexican National Team plays Ecuador Oct. 27 at Bank of America Stadium as part of its MexTour across the United States.

Charlotte has been very hospitable to El Tri.

The Mexican National Team, which plays Ecuador in an Oct. 27 friendly at Bank of America Stadium, is 4-0 in Charlotte, with a friendly and three Gold Cup competitions. The Ecuador match is the fifth game on the 2021 MexTour, an annual series of matches across the U.S. featuring El Tri. The 2020 series, which included a scheduled stop in Charlotte, was called off due to COVID-19.

The Mexicans have played four friendlies during the 2021 tour, fashioning a 3-0-1 record with a draw against Honduras in Atlanta in June. Their wins were against Iceland in May (Arlington, Texas), Nigeria (Los Angeles) and Panama (Nashville, Tennessee) in July.

The Ecuador friendly is the only scheduled match for Mexico in the U.S. aside from November’s World Cup qualifier against the U.S. national team in Ohio.

The Ecuador match is El Tri’s fifth game at Bank of America Stadium, where the Mexicans have historically been the best draw among international teams to play in Charlotte. More than 63,000 fans watched the MexTour match against Iceland in 2010, and won Gold Cup group games in 2011, 2015 and 2019, scoring a total of 12 goals in the latter three while winning tournament titles.

“The truth is that we have felt very good with the support of the people [in Charlotte], so it is good to return to a place where we feel comfortable,” said Mexico coach Tata Martino, the former head coach of Atlanta United.

Charlotte has proven to be a fortuitous host city for Mexico: the national team is undefeated at Bank of America Stadium and have scored 12 goals in their three most recent visits.
On all three occasions they have played in the Gold Cup in Charlotte, Mexico has proceeded to win the tournament.

Ecuador’s national squad is making their Bank of America Stadium debut but isn’t a stranger to America. La Tri, which is ranked 52nd in the world according to FIFA, soccer’s governing body, has played five friendlies in the U.S., with the most recent match two years ago against Colombia at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

El Tri has won three of the last four matches against Ecuador, although La Tri won the most recent competition at the 2015 Copa America.

Ecuador, coached by Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, is in position to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after beating Colombia, Uruguay and Bolivia in CONMEBOL, South American qualifying competition.

La Tri’s roster at the most recent World Cup qualifiers includes former West Ham (Premier League) striker Enner Valencia as well as Major League Soccer players Xavier Arreaga (Seattle) and Jhegson Méndez (Orlando City), which offers a look ahead to what Charlotte FC will likely face when it debuts next year. Jordy Alcivar, a midfielder whose signing by Charlotte FC was announced Monday, is also on the La Tri roster. Alcivar, 22, signed a four-year deal with a fifth-year option.

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