By bus from Monterrey to Houston during Mexico’s World Cup opener | OneFootball

A coach trip from Monterrey to Houston coincided with Mexico’s 2-0 World Cup opener and turned the border crossing into the story.

As reported by L'Équipe, the bus was mostly empty, a mix of retirees, budget travellers and border regulars. With kickoff due, one rider hopped off before Nuevo Laredo in his El Tricolor shirt.

Shakira had just closed at the Azteca, yet wifi and screens were dead and the driver was unmoved, the company lacked the channel and he barely cared for football. At 13:46 we crossed the Juarez Lincoln bridge into Laredo.

Northbound checks were exacting despite visa, ESTA, a FIFA letter and accreditation. An officer questioned the route, kept the passport, oversaw baggage screening and sent us to secondary, where another repeated the questions while a third searched a computer.

After calls verifying employer, time in Mexico and a Houston hotel, our passport was returned. Asked why the suspicion, the answer was blunt, first visit to the United States and arriving by bus from Mexico looked odd.

Back on board after 30 minutes, looks ranged from blasé to amused. Earlier, Felix, 29, a US-Mexican Pepsi employee, said day trips on foot still happen and buses face fewer checks than a flashy car, especially for regulars.

A new driver took over, his colleague’s permit limited him to 25 miles from the Rio Grande. Thirty minutes later a Border Patrol stop near Palomo Ranch, about 40 miles on, ended at 16:22 with a checked visa and a warm welcome.

Source: L'Équipe