TIJUANA, Mexico — The sky had been dark since morning, the Baja sun a rumor behind banks of clouds settled comfortably over Tijuana’s haphazard hills. But that had not deterred hundreds of fans from gathering outside the high concrete walls of Club Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente hours before the Xoloitzcuintles, better known as the Xolos, played the first home game of their winter season.
By 4 p.m., three hours before kickoff, Mexico’s largest tailgate party was in full swing. Tents had sprung up between the S.U.V.s and minivans that nearly filled the parking lot, and open grills sent banks of smoke into the cold, wet air.