On Tuesday evening, UNC's campus hosted lively and rambunctious displays of Mexican and Turkish pride as thousands attended a historic, friendly match between the men's soccer teams of Mexico and Turkey.
Mexican fans sang the famous song "Cielito Lindo" while some Turkish fans fought back with chants of "Türkiye, şampiyon," which translates to "Turkey champion!"
In the stands, some Mexican men wore charro hats; while some Turkish women wore hijabs with their flag's colors.
The A-Team squad of El Tri — as the Mexican national team is known — faced off against an aggressive Turkish team, whose ranks include players from the top European leagues, like Real Madrid.
Mexico pulled off a victory with a single goal in a contentious game, which wasn't without interruptions: one Turkish boy ran onto the field at the 85th minute to hug a player, and some Mexican fans followed.
In the last few minutes of the second half, the game paused because a brief scuffle between the teams broke out.
Immigration crackdown fears
More than half a million North Carolinians identify as being of Mexican origin, according to the U.S. Census. About half of them are foreign-born, and several hundreds of thousands of them live across the Triangle's counties.
While Mexicans from far and wide have reliably showed up wherever their team plays, several hundred seats were noticeably empty at Kenan this week.
Some fans believed the game didn’t sell out due to fear of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns.
The game comes as Department of Homeland Security officials have ramped up immigration raids and arrests in recent weeks, triggering massive anti-Trump protests in Los Angeles, a Mexican-American stronghold.
More protests inspired by these are scheduled this week in cities across the U.S.
One Mexican fan says he traveled from Greensboro with that issue on his mind.
"I've seen what's happening recently with the issue of immigration, so we came to the team, despite what's going on," said Chay de La Garza, 43. "You mess with one Mexican, you mess with all of us."
This game is a break for relief and joy during a challenging time, he said.
"I thought I was going to see more Mexicans, but the U.S. is a diverse country, it has people from all over," he said. "I loved seeing the Turkish people. They also contribute (to the country.)"
Turkish community shows out
The lively weekday game included an expectedly overwhelming Mexican crowd, but several hundred of Turkish expats from across the U.S. also came out in droves.
Some 250,000 Americans of Turkish descent are estimated to live in the U.S., particularly in New York, New Jersey and California, according to the 2023 American Community Survey.
Turkish fans at the game came from all over: Florida, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois and California.
"It's not often Turkey (comes) ... there is not too much game, not too much Turkish games, you know my national team, of course I’m going to them, that’s why I came," said Berkant Demir, 22, who drove from Los Angeles.
For their community, seeing their national team is a way to relive memories of the country they miss dearly.
"We miss watching soccer, man," said Farhad Ozdil, 20. "In America, to be honest, there is no culture for that. I know Mexicans are also happy to see their national team."
