OMNISPORT

PASADENA, Calif. — After watching his side top Jamaica 2-0 in a Rose Bowl filled with fans supporting his side, Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio praised the crowd.

The attendance for Thursday's Copa America Centenario Group C contest was announced at 83,263, nearly all of whom were supporting Mexico. This summer, El Tri also have played friendly matches in Atlanta and San Diego and opened the Copa in Arizona, with all matches played to capacity or near-capacity crowds.

When asked how that boosted his team Thursday, Osorio compared the crowd to those he used to see when he was an assistant at Manchester City.

"I have said in the past that prior to our decision to take the Mexican national team, we thought that we understood how much passion the national team generates in the Mexican population, but in the last three games, I have to admit that I had no clue or better yet I misunderstood because what we heard today, the noise in today’s match, the noise, the support was absolutely amazing," he said. "In my career, I have been blessed with the chance to play in Old Trafford - 65,000 people. Today I understood it was close to 90.

"It was absolutely outstanding, and I think the players feel that and try to play their best because we don’t see that as a bad thing. On the contrary, we think it’s fantastic and we can only wish to play every single match in an environment like tonight’s."

Miguel Layun agreed that the players are lifted by the atmosphere, saying "It means a lot. We are always happy to play here because we know all of our supporters are special. They give us a lot of support, they come here, they cheer and they give us that extra fuel that we need sometimes on the pitch."

While some members of the Reggae Boyz said they were able to block out the large crowd, others admitted that it did play a role in the match.

"Support is always important, and they were the 12th man for Mexico today," center back Wes Morgan said. "You’ve got to give it to the Mexicans, they always show up when their team needs them the most, the supporters. The passion is unbelievable, and we hope and we pray that one day our nation will get that support, just as Mexico is getting it now."

Organizers expect a large crowd for Mexico's next game, the third and final group contest against Venezuela. That match takes place Monday in Houston.