A volcano crater is not an obvious venue for a soccer match, but that is where a referee blows the whistle for kickoff each weekend on the outskirts of Mexico City.
“It’s a unique pitch,” said 32-year-old player Adrian Garcia, a graphic designer by profession.
“It’s very nice to come here to distract yourself, to relax, with friends and family,” he added.
Photo: AFP
The inactive Teoca volcano is about 2,700m meters above sea level in the district of Xochimilco, a green lung in the southeast of the sprawling megacity.
About 10 teams in an amateur league play in its crater on weekends.
The area was once a ceremonial center, but after falling into disuse, it was transformed into a soccer venue.
Photo: AFP
“The pitch must be about 70 years old,” league representative Joel Becerril said.
“They used to carry me up here when I was a child,” he added.
At dawn, a thick mist covers the pitch, but it gradually clears as the sun rises.
A single road reaches the summit, as well as an 18km hiking trail up the volcano’s forested slopes.
“It’s fantastic,” 47-year-old goalkeeper Daniel Mancilla Pena said.
“It’s very impressive to come all the way up here to the pitch and to have a very nice setting to play football,” he said.
Experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico said there are more than 200 volcanoes, most of them inactive, south of Mexico City and on the border with the neighboring state of Morelos.
One of the country’s active volcanoes, Popocatepetl, 70km from the capital, rattled nerves in May when it spewed ash, gases and molten rock.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to