PASADENA, Calif.–Twenty-seven people were arrested at the Rose Bowl, primarily for suspicion of public intoxication, as Mexico overcame an early two-goal deficit to defeat the United States, 4-2, in the final of soccer’s Gold Cup before a capacity crowd estimated at 93,420.
Twenty of the arrests Saturday night were the result of drunkenness, four for fights, one for illegal vending, one person illegally ran out on the field and one person was arrested for child endangerment, Pasadena Police Department Sgt. Kate Favara told City News Service.
By 11:30 p.m., the action had shifted from the Rose Bowl to the night clubs in the city’s Old Town area on its west side, Favara said. Officers were watching for fights and drunk drivers “like a busy Saturday night,” she said.
Most of the arrests were the result of the heat–Pasadena’s high temperature for the day was 84 degrees, according to the National Weather Service–and “excessive alcohol” consumption, Pasadena Police Sgt. Bobby Lomeli said.
“It seems many of them arrived early and started drinking in the parking lot,” Lomeli said. “People do some crazy things when they have alcohol in them.”
Because of the large crowd, fans were advised to arrive by 4 p.m. for the 6 p.m. game deciding the men’s soccer champion for the North American, Central American and Caribbean region.
Futbol Fiesta, a 120,000-square foot fan area featuring live music, interactive elements, giveaways and a beer garden opened at 2 p.m in Area H on the south end of the Rose Bowl.
The number of arrests was “a little bit more” than the typical figure for a UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl, Sgt. Bobby Lomeli said. UCLA averaged more than one-third fewer fans for its six games last season–60,376–than the crowd of 93,420 announced for Saturday’s game. UCLA football games rarely sell out and beer is not sold.
“When you have this large a group and you allow drinking to take place, its bound to happen,” Lomeli said, referring to the number of arrests.
Most of the people arrested “didn’t know what’s going on” when they were being arrested and taken to the Pasadena Police Department’s jail, Lomeli said.
“Most of the people who came did have a good time,” Lomeli said.
“There’s always going to be that percent of people who attempt to ruin that for others.”
As was decided before the game, beer sales were ended at 7:30 p.m., about a half hour before the game ended.
In Huntington Park, the street celebrations started at about 8 p.m. and wrapped up at about 11:30 p.m., with no arrests, said police Lt. Ron Davis.
“At their peak, there were probably about 200 people,” Davis said.
“But they were so spotty, there could have been 75 people in one place and 100 people another place,” he said.
The festivities started at Pacific Boulevard and Florence Avenue, then moved to Pacific Boulevard and Gage Avenue, Davis said.
There were no reports of fights and only a couple of reports of broken car windows, he said.
California Highway Patrol officers helped block streets, Davis said.
The Mexican victory prompted celebrations in portions of Los Angeles County. Deputies from many Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stations were “addressing some overenthusiastic soccer fans,” said Capt. Mike Parker of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.
Huntington Park police increased their presence at Florence and Santa Fe avenues in Huntington Park, NBC4 reported.
With the predominately pro-Mexico crowd turning the Rose Bowl into a sea of green, the color of its jerseys, Mexico broke a 2-2 half-time tie on a goal by Pablo Barrera in the 50th minute. Giovani Dos Santos added an insurance goal in the 76th minute of the 90-minute game.
The U.S. took a 2-0 lead on goals by Michael Bradley in the eighth minute and Landon Donovan in the 23rd. Mexico tied the score on goals by Barrera in the 29th minute and Andres Guardado in the 36th.
Mexico led in shots, 17-13. U.S. goalie Tim Howard made four saves, while his Mexican counterpart Alfredo Talavera made one.
Mexico won all six of its games in the biennial tournament, outscoring the opposition, 22-3. The U.S. was 4-2, outscoring its opponents, 9-6.
Because of the heavy support for Mexico in the Los Angeles area, U.S. Soccer, the sport’s governing body in the U.S., rarely schedules games between Mexico and the U.S. in the area.
The game was the first between the two teams in the Los Angeles area since Oct. 25, 2000 when the U.S. was a 2-0 winner in an exhibition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with Donovan scoring a goal in his national team debut.
“The support that Mexico has on a night like tonight makes it a home game for them,” said U.S. coach Bob Bradley, the father of Michael Bradley.
“The overwhelming amount of support is something that we expected. As a team we understand that it’s part of what we have to deal with on the night.”
The victory qualifies Mexico for the 2013 Confederations Cup, which consists of the winners of each of soccer’s six confederation championships, the reigning World Cup winner and the host nation.
Mexico leads the series, 32-15-11, and has won the last three games between the two teams.
By Steven Herbert | City News Service
