Qualcomm Stadium is home to two teams.
The Chargers and San Diego State Aztecs football team.
But there just might be another home team at the "Q."
Mexico.
As in "El Tri."
Not the U.S. national soccer team.
At least that's what a veteran local English-language newspaper writer wrote a few years back. Some locals didn't like it. Others were angry at the reporter who has covered international soccer for decades, especially, the U.S. soccer faithful.
Perhaps that reporter is right.
Rare are the times most, if not all, freeways surrounding Qualcomm Stadium and Mission Valley become virtually gridlocked.
Chargers regular or playoff games don't cause such jams.
San Diego State football? No.
The Holiday and Poinsettia Bowls? No.
Monster truck and dirt motorcycle rallies? Not even close.
So, it might be fair to say the Mexican national soccer team indeed could call San Diego home.
What more evidence is needed after a friendly match between Mexico and Venezuela at Qualcomm on Tuesday night in front of 60,808?
It was another turnout to eclipse the 60,000 in attendance for a Mexico match in San Diego.
Mexico left the building after a 1-1 draw against what's considered a weak South American squad. El Tri hasn't won in San Diego since beating Venezuela in 2007. It lost to Argentina in 2008 and tied with Nicaragua in 2009.
The Argentina match drew a record 68,498 to see a friendly. The last time Venezuela played here, also an exhibition, more than 60,000 turned out.
All those matches featured partisan crowds. The stands painted Green, White and Red despite unfavorable results.
All that didn't matter Tuesday.
El Tri was here. And coach Jose Manuel de la Torre called up most of Mexico's stars, including those on European clubs. One player perhaps drew most of the crowd. His name? Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, the 22-year-old striker that has become hugely popular for his standout performances with the world's most popular club: England's Manchester United.
Hernandez drew the loudest cheers during team introductions. He sent the partisan crowd into a frenzy when Aldo De Nigris broke a scoreless tie in the 59th minute. Screams and camera flashes erupted from the stands as drums and horns sounded off even louder than at kickoff.
De Nigris celebrated the score with a hop and fist pump after he sent a header past Venezuela goalkeeper Leonardo Morales from the mouth of the goal on a lobbed pass from Giovani Dos Santos.
El Tri had other scoring options in the first half. Most were created by Hernandez, who is said to be the next superstar of Mexican soccer.
Hernandez had two other scoring opportunities in the first half when he sent a point-blank shot from inside the goalkeeper's box wide right in the 9th minute. The shot zoomed near the right post. Pablo Barrera fed Chicharito a low rolling pass from right to left to set up the play.
His second opportunity came eight minutes later when he sent a shot over the cross bar as he crossed from left to right into the area.
"We always try to win against national teams," Hernandez said in English amid Spanish-speaking media. "We're not perfect. We're trying to do our best."
Perhaps the best scoring opportunity for Mexico came when Dos Santos sent a right-footed shot across his body in the 65th minute only to have it slapped away by Morales and hit the upright.
It caused another vibrant roar from the crowd.
That same crowd almost came to a silence when Venezuela's Oswaldo Vizcarrondo tied the match in the 73rd minute. He sent a header past Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa into the back of the net off a corner kick from Yohandry Orozco.
Vizcarrondo took advantage of Ochoa's late surge from the goal and anticipated the ball, jumping over a Mexican defender.
The ball was just out of Ochoa's reach. Perhaps he came out late.
De La Torre backed his goalkeeper when asked if Ochoa was to blame for Venezuela's goal.
"You can't put that on Memo," said De la Torre, who is now 2-0-1 as Mexico coach. "They blocked out or defender. It's not on Memo, no matter how you want to spin it. They blocked (Edgar) Duenas."
Ochoa explained what happened.
"I came out and reached for the ball but I just couldn't reach it," Ochoa said. "I could have stayed back and relied on the defense but you would be asking why I didn't come out."
The play will probably won't have much of an impact on Ochoa's chances of starting for El Tri in the future. But goalkeepers are always under the microscope, even during friendlies.
"(Criticism) is always going to be there," said Ochoa, who was a backup during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. "It's one of those things that comes with being a starter. You always want to do things right."
But is it fair?
"It's one of those things you can't control," Ochoa.
Mexico could have taken control late in the match.
Nestor Calderon came close to giving Mexico the lead in the 84th minute. His diving header ricocheted off an upright.
The tie would stand. Mexico would drop its record to 8-0-2 against "La Vinotinto."
Despite the near misses and the tying goal, the crowd appeared to be pleased. They continued to be loud. Perhaps even louder than other visiting teams that come to the "Q." Maybe even the NFL. More than Oakland Raiders fans. Even more than Pittsburgh Steelers fans and their terrible towels. More than Green Bay Packers cheese heads.
Mexico fans continued to rock out in the stands as their beloved Tri played the final minutes of the match.
El Tri had played another match far from its federation headquarters in Mexico City.
Mexico, and its fans, know the team has another home: San Diego.
ivan.orozco@sandiegored.com
