Mexico President Felipe Calderon is scheduled to visit Ciudad de Juarez, located on the Mexican border across from El Paso, on Tuesday, but his visit toMexico’s most violent city, where more than 6,600 people have been killed since a drug war since 2008, isn’t the biggest event of the day.
Mexico will play a full international soccermatch in Juarez for only the second time. “People are glum and have a lot of problems,” said Maria Gomez, an employee at the Unique Soccer store in El Paso’sBassett Place, “but for two hours they will have entertainment and will not have to think about all the problems. It’s a good thing.”
On Monday night, the star-studded Tri held an openpractice free to the public. Tuesday’s game against Venezuela will be a sellout at 22,000-seat Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez. “For us to see the national team in Juarez in these days of violence, itgives us something positive for whole family,” game promoter Gil Cantu said. “The president of Mexico is coming to the city and that’s also a way they areputting attention to a city that has been wounded by all the crime and violence.”