b'MEXICO VS. JAPAN MEXICO VS. JAPAN INTERNATIONAL SOCCER MATCHINTERNATIONAL SOCCER MATCHIN SEPTEMBER, WE HOSTED AN EXCITING INTERNATIONAL SOCCER MATCH BETWEEN MEXICOAND JAPAN AT THE OAKLANDALAMEDA COUNTY COLISEUM, DRAWING A CROWD OF OVER40,000 ATTENDEES. AS THE WORLDS MOST WATCHED AND WIDELY FOLLOWED SPORT, SOCCERHAS A UNIQUE POWER TO UNITE PEOPLE ACROSS CULTURES, AND BRINGING THIS MATCH TOOAKLAND WAS A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT FOR OUR CITYA CELEBRATION OF GLOBALSPORTSMANSHIP, COMMUNITY PRIDE, AND CULTURAL CONNECTION.AHEAD OF THE MATCH, WE WELCOMED BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA TO THE COLISEUMFOR A SERIES OF THREE PRESS CONFERENCES. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS WAS AN APPEARANCEBY OAKLAND MAYOR BARBARA LEE, WHO WELCOMED THE TEAMS AND THEIR STAFF TO OUR CITY.ADDING TO THE SPIRIT OF UNITY AND SYMBOLISM, DISTRICT 7 COUNCILMEMBER KEN HOUSTONCOMMEMORATED THE EVENT WITH A MEANINGFUL GESTURE: THE PLANTING OF A CHERRYBLOSSOM TREE TO REPRESENT JAPAN AND A CACTUS TO HONOR MEXICO.IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO WELCOME TWO RENOWNED NATIONAL TEAMS AND THEIR DEVOTED FANSTO OUR HOME, TURNING THE COLISEUM INTO A VIBRANT SPACE OF ENERGY, UNITY, ANDPASSION. 9'