8. MEXICO: Sanchez celebrates first Tri; 63,328 watch in San Diego

Coach Hugo Sanchez, whose debut as Mexico coach was a 2-0 loss to the USA in February, celebrated his first win Wednesday as Mexico downed Venezuela, 3-1, in San Diego.

The crowd of 63,328 at Qualcomm Stadium marked the largest crowd to watch a soccer game in San Diego history according to the San Diego Union Tribune.

Andres Guardado and Fernando Arce scored first-half goals for Mexico and veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored in the second half. Daniel Arismendi scored for Venezuela, host of this summer’s Copa America, in the 83rd minute.

“I’m very happy with the way the team performed,” Sanchez said. “We left a good image, especially in the first half. . . . We played with an aggressiveness against the United States, too. We just couldn’t put the ball in the net. Tonight we put the ball in the net.”