Mexico’s men’s national soccer team plays Ecuador in Charlotte tonight. What to know

Soccer will finally be played at Bank of America Stadium this week. No, it’s not Charlotte FC, the city’s Major League Soccer expansion franchise set to kick off in 2022, but the event is promising high-level competition and a crowd.

More than 36,000 tickets have been sold for Wednesday’s friendly between the men’s national soccer teams from Mexico and Ecuador scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

What to know

This is the latest stop on Mexico’s U.S. tour. The team has played four earlier matches as part of its 2021 #MexTour ahead of the World Cup Qualifier against the United States next month in Ohio.

Mexico’s men’s national team, known as El Tri, has previously visited Charlotte four times — in 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2019. The team was scheduled to make its return last year, but that match was canceled due to the pandemic.

For Ecuador, known as La Tri, this will be the team’s debut in Charlotte. It will be the first time for both teams playing on turf at Bank of America Stadium since that is a more recent change at the venue that also hosts the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Artificial turf was installed at the stadium over the summer as soccer-specific renovations continue in preparation for Charlotte FC to hit the pitch this winter.

Who’s favored on Wednesday?

Mexico will likely have a home-team feel given the team’s U.S. stops and its undefeated history in Charlotte. El Tri has played three Gold Cup matches in the city, most recently beating Martinique 3-2 in 2019. That match drew a crowd of slightly more than 59,000 fans.

Ecuador last beat Mexico when the two teams faced off in 2015, but Mexico won three head-to-head matches prior to that.

Ecuador is sitting in a position to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as the team is ranked third (top four automatically advance) behind Brazil and Argentina in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying ahead of November matches. Ecuador played five friendlies in the U.S. in 2019, most recently against Colombia in New Jersey at Red Bull Arena.

Wednesday will be a chance to test their lineup depth in preparation for games when the stakes are higher while also connecting with their U.S. fanbases.

Former Atlanta United coach Tata Martino coaches Mexico and Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro leads Ecuador.

“Our expectations are always to bring to the fans of wherever we go the best version of ourselves and bring a great game to town,” Martino said. “We look forward to having two great teams put on a great show to get the fans ready for Charlotte’s entrance into MLS league play.”

How to watch Mexico v Ecuador

Tickets are still available online at Ticketmaster.com and will be sold upon walk-up at Bank of America Stadium, located in Uptown Charlotte at 800 South Mint Street. The ticket office opens at 9 a.m.

The match will be broadcast on Spanish networks UniMas and TUDN, and on the radio on Fútbol de Primera. The television kickoff time is 9 p.m.

Mexico soccer roster

Ecuador soccer roster

This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 7:00 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription