Sport12 · Mexico City

Team
International

Team International is a soccer community in Mexico City consisting of people from all over the world that share the passion of soccer. Several days a week members of Team International gather together to play soccer games organised by Sport12.

The community

Soccer in every format.

All kinds of games are practised: from playing in public parks, to Fut5 games at modern sport centers, to Fut11 games in the city center.

Team International grew as an open and energetic community where international and Mexican players could meet, play, compete and spend time together beyond the pitch.

February 2018

How it all began

The beginning of Team International can be dated back to February of 2018, when several international people gathered together to have a fun Fut7 game (7vs7) at sport center Polideportivo los Culhuacanes. Girls and guys participated in the game that was played against a humble but very joyful team from the state of Chiapas.

The first members of Team International came from 6 different countries: Fred (ENG), Kim (GER), Majo (MX), Wen (MX), Ben (AU), Johnnie (MX), Nacho (ARG), Carlos (ARG) and Mari (COL).

This very first game of Team International was lost 16:5 to the Chiapas All Stars team.

The story

The formation of an intercultural community

New people every week

From then on, the group decided to meet up once a week to play soccer and have some fun. Each week new players from different parts of the city, from Satélite in the north of the city to Xochimilco in the south of the city, with different backgrounds joined the games.

With Jake from England, Hector from El Salvador, Enrique from Venezuela, Edward from Kenya, Ben from Australia and Manni from India, very soon the group had an extremely intercultural team with players from all continents of the world.

More than just the game

With a fruitful mix of Mexicans and international people alike the games started to become very popular. To make the Sunday soccer meet up more fun the group decided to bring some music to the games that created a very easy going atmosphere.

Step by step features like Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting were integrated to give those always fun games a sense of importance as well. Additionally, the players enjoyed after game reports with pictures provided by team photographer Fabi.

As games were often played at 2pm, right when the sun was at its peak, the group decided to provide water for all team members at each game. Those aspects were implemented thanks to the ideas of the early members of Team International and became a vital part of the community.

High participation rates

Very soon the level of Team International began to improve as well. The first victories were celebrated within a few weeks against other teams that played at the same sport center.

The players started to understand each other better on the pitch. Each person's personal game as well as the overall team play improved exponentially. All players quickly found their best position within the team and tried their best to win the weekly MVP title.

Weekly games at Culhuacanes

Once Team International had a consistent group of people coming to the weekly games, the games were organised between all players of the group. Instead of challenging other teams, the group split itself into two sides that would play against each other.

Several games were played every Sunday at Polideportivo los Culhuacanes from 2–4pm. Teams were mixed after about an hour of playing to create different constellations that kept the games interesting and challenging. Step by step games were also played at other locations and on different days.

Competitive football

Jakeventus was born

Due to the high participation rate and increasingly competitive Sunday games, it was time to step up a level. In May, the first competitive game was organised against the international soccer team of UBER in Mexico City at Planet Gol in La Roma.

A selective group of players from Team International was nominated. In a competitive but always fair 9-a-side game, Team International put a lot of heart and passion into the game and made effective combinations to get closer to the opponent's goal.

At the end, Team International had to accept a 3:2 defeat against a very competitive team from Uber.

From that game on, team Jakeventus — in reference to Jake from England, one of the best forwards and most passionate guys of Team International — was established as an elite team within the overall community.

Jakeventus managed to win the return game against Uber in a similarly competitive Fut7 game a few weeks later.

June 2018

Team International enters the big pitch

At the end of June Jakeventus had another promising event when they played their first 11-a-side (Fut11) match at the newly renovated soccer pitch at Centro Deportivo Benito Juarez.

By then the team was in very good shape with a healthy mix of people and a clear team structure. Everyone knew exactly what to do in their respective position.

Jakeventus had to suffer some initial strong pressure from its opponent, but the team organised itself well after a while. The result was a 2:0 victory in the first Fut11 game of Jakeventus.

Beyond football

What makes the community special

An open environment

What makes this community special is the treatment of each and every member within the group. Everyone is open to new people that like to join the group.

The same open environment that Ben, Jake, Manni, Hector, Edward and co. encountered when they joined the games in the beginning was preserved as the community grew.

Friends off the pitch

Many people met up to attend social sport events or to enjoy some after-game food and drinks in Coyoacán.

Team members with personal projects were supported as well. When Johnnie, one of the founding members, needed more than 50 people for a TV commercial to represent a passionately cheering crowd in a soccer stadium, several members joined the photo shoot to help create a more realistic and passionate soccer fan crowd.

Update · November 2018

New Team International shirts

In November 2018 new team shirts were introduced to Team International. With the new black shirts the bond of the community was reinforced.

Some players even used the shirts when they went out together. All shirts wore the number 12 on the back, representing the passionate soccer fan and amateur player.

The players of the first game with the new shirts, from left to right, were: Erick (MX), Jake (ENG), Manni (IN), Johnnie (MX), Kim (GER), Hazael (MX), Hector (SV), Der (MX).

Update · February 2019

First Anniversary of Team International

When Fred (ENG), Kim (GER), Majo (MX), Wen (MX), Ben (AU), Johnnie (MX), Nacho (ARG), Carlos (ARG) and Mari (COL) met up one year before to play soccer together, no-one had an idea of the dimensions that Team International would reach.

Since the first game, the group managed to play every Sunday without failure. New people kept joining and games were already being played in different parts of the city. The community had grown to more than 400 players in Mexico City.

The 11-a-side games at Benito Juarez stadium initially started with difficulties due to their competitive nature. Over time, the group turned them into prestigious games between Mexican and international players. Players from nationalities such as Japan or Venezuela also gathered together to challenge Rest of the World teams.

And the winner is...

To celebrate the diverse soccer community in Mexico City, the first Anniversary was held in “Casa de Gus”, organised by Gus himself and defender Wenceslao.

The most active players, on and off the pitch, gathered to celebrate with a barbecue and a party at night. The highlight was the election of the players of the year. A jury of 14 players voted for the best players in six different categories.

Most Appearances Award 2018

Héctor Perreira

Héctor joined through founding member Johnnie and participated in almost every game. With 44 appearances in one year, he won the Most Appearances Award 2018.