Mexican soccer had a good World Cup.
El Tri won its group, and its round-of-16 match with England was an all-time classic. In 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, the team may have a star to build its next generation around. The country’s purpose-built soccer stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey provided the most traditional atmosphere of the tournament.
Mexican soccer’s governing body, its clubs, and its players all want the country to capitalize on a World Cup bounce.
In 2022, Arturo Lomeli, founder of the Clase Azul luxury tequila brand, bought a Mexican soccer team, Tampico Madero. The team’s home ground needed expensive refurbishment and its owner, Grupo Orlegi, did not want to invest. Lomeli moved the team from Tamaulipas on the east coast to La Paz in Baja California, more than 700 miles away. The new team was rebranded Atlético La Paz.
“We are creators. We don’t want to manage assets. We like to create where there is nothing and make it work,” Lomeli told Front Office Sports on a recent episode of Portfolio Players.
