Man-hole-sized mud pits didn’t seem to dampen their spirits. Nor did the bone-chilling temperature that turned fans’ breath into wispy tufts of condensation.
Ten minutes before kickoff at least one-third of the seats surrounding the field were empty, fans straggling in as they do with hands full of beer and snacks or children’s tiny fingers.
A Friday night destination for families, friends and even couples, Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente is everything its concrete counterpart to the north, Qualcomm Stadium, is not — thriving.
Work on the home of the Xolos, the Liga MX futbol team that attracts thousands of fans from the United States, is not over but the projects that were undertaken during their championship season just a few years ago have already dramatically transformed the space.
There was a time when making your way from the street to the turnstiles after a heavy rain left your shoes and ankles caked with mud; when cars driving through the parking lot turned up chunks of clay and splashed queuing fans with brown water.
Now there are sidewalks and cement where dirt used to be and soccer fans pause to have their photos taken in front of a fountain or massive poster with images of their favorite players.
Inside the stadium one side has risen to about five stories above the concourse — where the dirt walkways still exist and puddles can swallow a small infant — and a sports bar gives fans the option of watching the game on myriad televisions or glancing over their shoulders to the field, where Tijuana’s team chases a ball on artificial turf every two weeks.
There are still plans for the red stadium next to the fabled Caliente casino and race track. It’s future is promising. Unlike the Q’s.
As the Chargers will-they-or won’t-they-move? drama unfolds in fits and death throes, the future of Qualcomm stadium is, at best, uncertain.
Should the NFL team leave then it must be decided if the nearly 50-year-old structure can be renovated to attract another football team or if it should be demolished to make way for more housing and businesses. As circumstances are now it doesn’t look good for the stadium in Mission Valley.
The Chargers want to leave town and some major developers would like to see a new stadium built elsewhere in San Diego. The Mission Valley stadium, which has hosted concerts, football, baseball and soccer games, doesn’t have a promising future.
But south of the border, about 30 minutes away from downtown San Diego, a young stadium is still evolving. If the Chargers leave there will still be a place to watch live futbol, even if it is a different kind and in a different tongue. The energy and excitement of sport is the same regardless of language.
