Gold Cup games bring thousands of soccer fans to Levi's Stadium
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Thousands of soccer fans gathered at Levi's Stadium Sunday for the Concacaf Gold Cup. Sunday’s doubleheader included matches between Jamaica and St. Kitts & Nevis, and Mexico took on Qatar.
It was pretty warm in Santa Clara like everywhere else in the Bay Area this weekend, but fans were still excited to be there, tailgating and cheering for their favorite team.
"I come every year they come to Levi's. I will always be here," said Santa Clara resident Manny.
On a hot Sunday afternoon, thousands of fans headed into Levi’s Stadium for the Concacaf Gold Cup. Many people were wearing Mexico’s team colors and said they were there to watch Mexico battle Qatar.
"It’s Mexico. I’ve never seen them in person, and I just feel like they’re in my hometown. So, it’s like, it’s time to come out, it’s time to come out!" said San Jose resident Freddie.
With temperatures in the 90s, people still tailgated in the parking lot, with music and food to set the festive mood before the games began.
"I heard that there was going to be a heat warning coming in this weekend. We’re not used to it, so it definitely got us a little hot, but you know, we went with it. We got to enjoy all the bands, all the people out here and really had a good time," said Oakland resident Aurora Diaz.
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Team Jamaica also played St. Kitts & Nevis, rounding out Sunday’s doubleheader at Levi’s Stadium. The Gold Cup crowns one of 16 national teams every two years. The teams are from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Mexico has won a record eight titles, followed by the United States with seven championship titles since 1991.
"When you’re watching good teams like this play, it’s entertaining, it’s fast-paced, hoping to get some goals scored," said Ryan Katreev of Petaluma.
Soccer has millions of fans from around the world and even for those who say they don’t know much about soccer, the unity it creates keeps them watching.
"We are not a soccer, football fan, but we’re very patriotic. We’re Mexican. Our parents are from Mexico, and we feel that it’s fun to come out here to mingle and have fun," Diaz said.
Jamaica beat St. Kitts 5-0, and Qatar beat Mexico 1-0. Next Sunday, KTVU will be at PayPal Park in San Jose as the U.S. competes in the Women’s World Cup sendoff game.