Budding U.S. vs. Mexico indoor soccer rivalry will have different feel this year

Empire Strykers midfielder Marco Fabian signs autographs during a game in December 2023. Fabian will be representing Mexico in an indoor soccer match against the U.S. at Toyota Arena in Ontario on Sunday. A few years back Jimmy Nordberg, then coach of an indoor soccer team in Ontario, was trying to come up with a way to build interest in a sport that, so far, had generated very little.

“So we thought ‘what’s the best rivalry we have in this country as far as soccer goes?’,” said Nordberg, now executive vice president of the Ontario-based Empire Strykers. “It’s us versus Mexico.”

That was five years ago and the idea worked so well, drawing 7,800 people that first year, nearly four times what…