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A crowd of just over 14,000 in the Arroyo Seco watched as Monterrey poured in three goals in a dazzling eight-minute span midway through the first half, asserting themselves as one of the tournament’s dark horses.
Wednesday’s match was the sixth over 10 days of international club play at the historic Rose Bowl, part of FIFA’s newly expanded Club World Cup format. Though attendance figures fell short of projections — and some of the midweek matches drew sparse crowds — the venue itself rose to the occasion.
City officials had prepared for the worst after scorching heat and fan complaints plagued the opening match between Inter Milan and Monterrey, but adjustments were made: water stations were more visible, traffic routing was improved, and security presence increased by the final two matches.
“The Rose Bowl is still one of the most iconic stages in world soccer,” said Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, who attended Wednesday’s match. “It was a privilege to host teams and fans from around the world, and I believe we showed that this stadium still has magic.”
The win pushed Monterrey to five points in Group E, enough to leapfrog River Plate and punch a ticket to next week’s knockout match against Borussia Dortmund in Atlanta.
“This is how you finish a group stage,” said Monterrey manager Domènec Torrent. “We found our rhythm early, we struck hard, and most importantly, we stayed focused until the final whistle.”
Monterrey’s Nelson Deossa cracked the 0-0 match open in the 30th minute with a blazing, 35-yard rocket that left Urawa’s brave goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa flailing at the air. Four minutes later, Germán Berterame brought the pain with a well-placed finish off a fluid buildup involving Alfonso Alvarado and Jorge Rodríguez.
Jesús “Tecatito” Corona added the third just before halftime, curling in a left-footed strike from outside the box that brought Monterrey’s bench to its feet. The Red Diamonds barely had time to regroup before Berterame notched his second in stoppage time, a tap-in that capped the most dominant stretch of play in the tournament’s Rose Bowl leg.
The second half was merely academic.
Despite the onslaught, the Urawa fan base was resilient, standing, singing and pounding drums, literally throughout the entire match, even as Monterrey scored goal after goal.
For the Dragons, the loss ended a tough run in Southern California. Scoreless through all three matches, the J-League club showed flashes of energy early but failed to capitalize. Yusuke Matsuo and Atsuki Ito each forced saves in the opening minutes, but as the game tilted in Monterrey’s favor, Urawa’s high press dissolved into hurried desperation.
A late-match apparent goal by Urawa brought a moment’s joy, but was called back for an offsides penalty.
Coach Maciej Skor?a didn’t mince words afterward.
“Monterrey are a world-class side and tonight they punished every mistake,” Skor?a said. “We didn’t do enough with our chances, and that’s the price you pay at this level.”
Though Urawa leaves Pasadena with three losses and no goals, Skor?a praised the tournament experience and the team’s resilience. “This is part of our growth. It’s not the result we wanted, but we’ll take the lessons back to the J-League.”
Monterrey now moves east, where they’ll face German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund next Tuesday. Their performance Wednesday — fast, physical, and ruthless — should give them confidence, but Ortiz knows the challenge ahead is greater.
“Tonight was a win,” Ortiz said. “But we’re not here just to make the next round. We believe we belong deep in this tournament.”
As for Urawa, their Rose Bowl campaign may not have yielded a point, but for many of their players, it marked their first exposure to North American crowds and high-intensity play in a legendary venue. Midfielder Ryoma Watanabe, who nearly scored on a free kick late in the match, called the tournament “a humbling but unforgettable experience.”
In a tournament built to showcase the world’s top clubs, Monterrey made sure the final act in Pasadena ended not with a whimper, but a roar.
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