Discontent among El Tri fans evident in 0-0 draw between Mexico and Canada at AT&T Stadium

If empty seats in a stadium are a good indicator of a team in crisis, then the Mexican national football team is certainly suffering from it.

During Tuesday’s friendly, Mexico had the lowest attendance ever at AT&T Stadium, with 32,623 fans in the stands to watch El Tri’s 0-0 draw with Canada.

Since 2009, Mexico has played 14 games at the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys, with an average attendance of 67,373 fans per game.

Before Tuesday’s game against Canada, the lowest attendance for a Mexico match at AT&T Stadium was on June 10, 2021, against Trinidad & Tobago, when 41,229 fans showed up for a Gold Cup match.

Expectations for the match against Canada were so low that organizers decided not to open the second floor of the stadium.

Thirty minutes before kickoff, the cheapest ticket to see the game at AT&T Stadium was $30 on seatgeek.com. On August 20, the cheapest ticket was $65, according to a report from All Day.

The past two years have been a nightmare for El Tri, which is struggling with one of the biggest crises in history.

As comparisons grow, Javier Aguirre urges Mexico to focus on what ‘really matters’

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico failed to reach the group stage, an event not seen since Argentina in 1978.

Later in March, Mexico was humiliated by the United States in the Concacaf Nations League final at AT&T Stadium. This summer, Mexico performed worst in the Copa America, failing to advance beyond the group stage.

In two years, the Mexican national team has had four coaches: Gerardo Martino, Diego Cocca, Jaime Lozano and Javier Aguirre.

Before Tuesday’s match, the Mexico national team played a friendly against New Zealand on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, attended by 25,000 fans.

To put that into perspective, in 2010 the same teams played each other at the same venue, with 90,526 fans in the stadium.

The photo of thousands of empty seats at AT&T reflects the discontent among El Tri fans. Still, Mexican national team defender Alan Mozo said he was surprised by the low turnout.

“I’m surprised because the fans have always filled the stadiums where we play. I think it reflects everything that has happened recently,” Mozo said.

Against Canada, the Mexican players showed fear and developed a rough playing style that did not help them build a fluid attacking game.

Canada was the only one to create danger in the first half, with a header from Cyle Larin being superbly saved by Mexican goalkeeper Ángel Malagón.

Mexico had its best chance to score in the 72nd minute, when Roberto Alvarado fired a hard shot inside the penalty area. Canadian goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made a corner kick and cleared the ball.

At the end of the match, the Mexican fans in the stadium booed their team loudly.

Mexico begins a new era with old friend Javier Aguirre at the helm

Aguirre, who has coached the Mexican national team twice before, at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, knows his team needs to start winning games to regain the fans’ sympathy.

“To the extent that the fans see that their team is committed to giving the best of themselves, people will come back. I have no doubt about it,” Aguirre said.

With more than 20 years of experience as a coach in Europe and other countries around the world, Aguirre has developed a philosophy that will help the Mexican national team regain the appreciation of its fans.

“I can’t imagine a team under my leadership that doesn’t run, doesn’t fight, doesn’t feel the colors, I can’t imagine that,” Aguirre said.