ROLANDO CANTU, CARDINALS Unpleasant LINEMAN (2004-06) And you may Indigenous Out of MONTERREY, MEXICO: I happened to be to the practice team inside 2004, got reduce, in addition they signed me personally back again. New agenda to possess 2005 ended up being create, and i think about perfectly which i got a beneficial training camp that 12 months in addition they explained I was doing really well. Used to do ingeniously. I did not [play], but I had the opportunity to show up.

WILSON: I allow the Cardinals enough credit when planning on taking new problem and you may doing it. Men and women within the group inside Nyc extremely needed to push the effort to figure out and this cluster and whom to speak to as far as brand new ownership organizations. Logistic things arrived to gamble too, like day zones, travelling — how far will they be gonna need travelling — this is why In my opinion Mexico was such an appealing nation, it was not attending have to be a large trip. Relatively simple regarding an occasion region direction. An abundance of you to definitely went towards the calculus, at enough time, the fresh new [Cardinals] felt like that they had feel ready to quit a property video game for as long as they generated feel to them financially to come off and you will gamble. Geographically, they’re quite close.

If latest 53-kid rosters was basically established, they cut myself however, explained they will signal me personally right back into the behavior squad

The brand new 2005 Cardinals-49ers video game from inside the Estadio Azteca set a normal-year attendance checklist off 103,467 admirers, which endured for nearly five 12 months. Robert Laberge/Getty Images

MIKE NOLAN, 49ERS Mentor (2005-08): From the we’d a conference, [group owner] John York and that i throughout the conference. The guy said, “Do you wish to play in Mexico Area otherwise might you want to play in the Hall out of Fame video game?” And that i told you . I don’t require an extra online game regarding preseason my first 12 months. I would personally as an alternative only have fun with the for the-12 months games in Mexico Urban area. And that i believe of a fan perspective, the new 49ers possess enough admirers down around. I did not know at that time whom we had play, however, i wound up playing Washington. That’s the way i contemplate it began.

Thus for me it was, ‘Hey, take it on the

BERTRAND BERRY, CARDINALS Protective Prevent (2004-09): The initial thing I remember is a lot of the boys didn’t have passports. Making sure that, to begin with, are something I discovered quite interesting. With all the people we’d to your squad, there was an extended line discover passports and i only think of thought like, ‘Man, we had not been anyplace. We had not complete anything other than enjoy sports all of our whole lifetime.’

GONZALEZ: e would be to become stored, is actually a date you to during the Mexico we should instead just take that have higher respect, considering the historical incidents (Tlatelolco Slaughter) of which we are conscious right here, but that we needed to make clear to your colleagues when you look at the the us. Sure, the advantages and you may disadvantages was weighed, nonetheless it are decided that we had to proceed because we’d to simply accept that we offer a tv show and a factor in enjoyable. Therefore, unlike centering on the newest perhaps not-so-good procedure of the concept of the date, i made a decision to provide a choice and you may state, ‘Today, October. 2, there are even reasons for having honoring.’

The NFL had complete numerous “American Bowl” preseason game within the Mexico just before considered an everyday-12 months games there. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

BERRY: I just got a impact concerning entire thing. I wasn’t those types of boys apprehensive about they. I happened to be delighted. I appreciated starting stuff not one person got previously over. Let’s go shine inside Mexico. Let us go bring specific Cardinals fans right back with our company regarding across the newest border.’