If there's one thing the Aggies can do, it's fill all 102,733 seats at Texas A&M football's Kyle Field. Now, Athletics Director Trev Alberts is challenging A&M and surrounding areas, Texas and others to break attendance records for the Brazil-Mexico soccer game on June 8 at Kyle Field. issued a letter.
The match will be played as part of the Mexico men's national soccer team's “MexTour,'' a five-city tour of the United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The current Mex Tour attendance record of 90,526 was set in 2010 at Pasadena's Rose Bowl Stadium against New Zealand.
In preparation for this summer's game at Texas A&M, former international soccer players Emerson da Rosa of Brazil and Pavel Pardo of Mexico visited campus last week to tour Kyle Field and get to know Aggieland.
During their two-day stay in College Station, the players, along with ESPN soccer commentator and Texas A&M graduate Fernando Palomo, visited Olsen Field at Bluebell Park on April 30 to watch Aggie men's baseball and During his stay, he learned the meaning of baseball. “I saw them off.”
Pardo and Da Rosa attended a press conference at Kyle Field with Alberts during the visit. The players were asked what they thought about the stadium. Kyle Field is the largest stadium in Texas and one of the largest in the United States. They were also asked what they thought about the campus as a whole. “We’re like Aggies now,” Pardo joked. “Congratulations, because everything you do, [at Texas A&M], everyone is amazing. … As part of the game, when you’re on the field, it’s like we’re saying “12 guys” here. That's very important. For me, when I step onto the field with a packed stadium, it's amazing. ”
Da Rosa similarly complemented A&M's environment. “This is a really special place,” he said. “We celebrate the great architecture and the passion that is here. …We hope that Brazil will have a great presence here.”
Alberts thanked the players for their visit to campus, saying, “We are very honored to be able to host them. This is a really big deal for us.” …Kyle Field is a pretty special place, so if you're going to do something at Kyle Field, it has to be pretty special, like something like this.
“By the way,” he added, “I like to break records, so may I announce today that I want to break the MEX Tour attendance record? …This is an international university; We have an impact all over the world…so this is a great opportunity for us to come on board to continue to grow the Texas A&M brand as an institution and as an athletic department.”
Alberts and the players discussed their desire to expand soccer's popularity in the United States, noting that this type of event could further increase interest in the sport. They noted that it is a truly international event, as Mex Tour games traditionally have fans purchasing tickets from 30 different states in addition to many countries.
Learn more about the game here.
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