The camera flashes sparkled from the stands.
Cheers bounced off the bushy hills that wrap around the sold-out Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego.
Most of those flashes and screams were for one of soccer's international superstars making an appearance in what was called the "San Diego Clásico."
It was the Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham drawing the fan's interest although his team ended up on the losing side Wednesday night.
Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles crossed back into Mexico after a 4-3 win in penalty kicks after both teams played to a 2-2 draw in regulation in an exhibition match.
Beckham and his teammate Landon Donovan received most of the cheers from the 6,124 in attendance but it was the Xolos fans who seemed to give the event life.
"It felt good to be out there," said Beckham, who recently joined the Galaxy after a stint playing in Europe. "I thought (Xolos) were a good, competitive team and we expected it so.
"Mexican teams always play tough. It doesn't matter if it's an exhibition or not, their players are always into it. It doesn't matter what division they are in. Their country revolves around soccer. It's in their blood. This got to be a good game with a nice atmosphere."
Event organizers said they had sold about 2,000 tickets as of Wednesday morning. Most of the turnout came from walk-up sales and most were Tijuana fans.
Torero Stadium holds about 6,000. It was a good turnout, especially with more Xolos fans than Galaxy supporters in the stands and some in standing- room only areas behind both goals.
Latino fans contrasted with Anglo fans, who mostly support the U.S. national team and its captain, Donovan, a villain to Mexican soccer fans.
Donovan prompted some more cheers and some scattered boos after giving the Galaxy a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute. He scored off a Chris Birchall centered-pass, taking advantage when a Xolos defender slipped.
But a louder roar came from the stands after Xolos midfielder Luis Orozco tied the match via a penalty kick in the 81st minute.
There was not much to expect from an exhibition match that featured one team in the middle of its league schedule while the other was finishing its preseason. The Xolos are looking to defend their league title in what is Mexico's second division, la Liga de Ascenso. The Galaxy begin their 2011 Major League Soccer campaign later this month.
Galaxy players appeared passive and uninterested at times. Beckham missed a couple of passes to his feet while defenders let some balls filter through in their penalty area.
That included a quick strike by the Xolos' Armando Pulido. He sent a rolling pass past Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts into the lower right corner of the net to break a scoreless match. Pulido beat Paolo Cardozo before sending in his shot on goal.
Tijuana's lead didn't last long.
Omar González sent in a header past Tijuana goalkeeper, Adrián Zermeño, off a Beckham corner kick to tie the match two minutes later.
It was a pin-point bending corner kick from Beckham, who appeared to loosen up as the match went on.
And it turned out to be an interesting game.
Both teams exchanged attacks in the second half with both clubs using a handful of substitutes in the final 45 minutes.
But fans probably couldn't complain.
They got to see some of the top players in Major League Soccer and some solid talent from Mexico.
Some of that talent included local players. The Xolos' Joe Corona is a Sweetwater High graduate while the Galaxy's Frankie Hedjuk also played at least one half.
Corona almost scored in the 62nd minute when he sent a volley over Ricketts' head. The shot appeared to be heading into the net when the Galaxy's Todd Dunivant, standing at the goal line, headed the ball over the cross bar out of danger.
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena was impressed by Corona's play.
When asked which Xolos player stood out the most he called out "No. 15." That's Corona's jersey number.
"Can we get him?," Arena asked with a grin. "He is very good."
Corona, who played at San Diego State in 2008 before leaving the school to turn pro, tried not to make much of Arena's comments.
"It's humbling to hear that," said Corona, who has rapidly become one of Mexico's Liga de Ascenso premier players. "It's part of the process to play in the first division. It was a chance to showcase myself and it's humbling to play against established players."
Another established player is Hedjuk. He also had his own chance at scoring.
It came in the 71st minute when he sent a right-footed blast from about 25-yards out. Zermeño stopped the shot, diving to his left. Hedjuk, a San Dieguito High alumni, had not played in San Diego since January 2006 when the U.S. team faced Canada.
"It was good to be back home in front of a good crowd," Hedjuk said. "We didn't get the outcome we wanted but tonight was not about outcomes."
The difference in Wednesday's game was Zermeño, the Xolos goalkeeper, stopping Jovan Kirovski's penalty kick and Javier Yacuzzi sending in the winning PK for Tijuana.
The Mexican team from the second division beat an American squad with the highest payroll in Major League soccer.
But that didn't matter to the fans. They kept snapping photos, the flashes sparkling in the stands.
Ivan.orozco@sandiegored.com
