On Saturday, June 7, the Mexico Men’s National Team took on Switzerland at Rice Eccles Stadium. The event marked the MexTour’s second visit to the State of Utah, and its first to Salt Lake City. With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming, this match offers valuable preparation for both teams and players.
First Half
The start of the match saw extremely balanced play, with both teams trading possessions looking to open the scoring. Mexico earned the first great scoring chance in the fifth minute, but Switzerland’s goaltender quickly stopped the shot attempt.
In the 17th minute, a hard foul from Mexico’s Jesús Orozco resulted in the first yellow card of the game. Shortly after, a strong defense from the Swiss team resulted in a turnover and possession. A long pass to Breel Embolo earned a fast break for Switzerland, which led to the first goal of the match.
Another great chance for Mexico came in the 29th minute. With possession of a rebound mere feet from the goal, the subsequent shot just missed the net, landing on top of the goal. Minutes later, Switzerland had a great opportunity themselves. With the goaltender out of position, Vincent Sierro’s shot looked promising but ultimately rang off the crossbar.
With time dwindling in the first half, Mexico looked to tie the score heading into the break. An offside attacker foiled Mexico’s final push in the 45th minute. As a result, the two teams headed into the locker rooms, with Switzerland maintaining its one-goal lead.
Second Half
Compared to the first half, the second period was drastically different, seeing a major increase in scoring. The first significant moment came just five minutes into the half. A foul from Mexico’s César Montes resulted in a yellow card. Just a minute later, Santiago Giménez’s header netted the second goal of the game.
With the match tied at a goal apiece, both teams were eager to take the advantage. Following further developments, which saw an additional yellow card delivery, Zeki Amdouni scored a controversial goal from the box. The goal, which gave the Swiss team the lead, resulted from a contentious no-offside call.
Seven minutes later, Dan Ndoye extended the Switzerland lead to two goals. Despite this, Mexico’s Ángel Sepúlveda scored just four minutes later, re-establishing the one-goal deficit. Later, with five minutes left in the half, Cédric Zesiger earned the Swiss team’s only yellow card of the match.
Down three and time fleeting, Mexico looked for some late-game heroics. In the 90th minute of play, Switzerland’s Fabian Rieder scored, extending the lead to two. With five minutes of time added to the half, Mexico was unable to find the back of the net again. The Switzerland team left Rice Eccles Stadium having secured a 4-2 victory.
Environment
When it was all said and done, the final attendance totalled over 41,000 spectators. Despite the loss for the Mexico Men’s National Team, their fans showed out. Dominating the crowd, the team’s faithful audience cheered from kick-off to the final whistle. Mexican flags could be spotted waving proudly throughout the stands and concourse. Furthermore, the roar of the crowd following each Mexico goal could be heard everywhere.
Fans behind the Mexico goal had drums, playing a consistent beat throughout the match, adding to the environment. The wave also made its presence clear throughout the crowd. With fans engaging in the tradition throughout the match, the excitement was beyond evident. Despite the hot weather and glaring sun, fanatics did not hesitate to support their teams.
To get a better grasp of fans’ thoughts on the event, the Chronicle spoke with several attendees to hear their opinions. When asked what a soccer event of this magnitude meant for the state of Utah, one Mexico fan stated, “Especially (with) the culture behind the Mexican soccer team coming here, it’s really cool to see everybody come together with everything going on. It’s really special.”
Responding to the same question, one Switzerland fan and University of Utah alum said, “It’s cool to see my national team play at the place I was sitting in the MUSS not too long ago.” They also noted their appreciation to the fans, stating that “It’s very lively (and) everybody is friendly. It’s an awesome event.”
