VIDEO: California Charity Soccer Game Spirals Into Anarchy As Dozens Brawl On Field

SANTA ANA, CA — It was a soccer brawl for the ages. At a match between two "professional" Mexican teams at Santa Ana Stadium's Eddie West Field last Sunday, billed as a Game of Legends and a fundraiser for a local youth soccer org, fans of the two teams — América and Pumas — found they could no longer contain their sports rage by halftime, not even for the sake of the children.

In a primal outburst of "extreme violence" that would end up forcing Santa Ana cops to shut down the event altogether, ESPN reports that a pack of América fans ventured over to the Pumas side of the field during halftime and throwing around some serious smack talk.

Insane video footage from the game, included below, captured the exact moment the taunting turned to an all-out war of fists and feet — then devolved into total anarchy, as dozens more fans hopped down from the stands to join in.

The inimitable Gustavo Arellano of OC Weekly, expert on all things Mexican-American — and, particularly, Mexican-SoCalian — posted translations of some of the most entertaining, and telling, audio picked up on telecasts of the field brawl (censorship ours):

The English-language media slobbering over this story obviously don't have any chilangos on staff, because they're missing out on the best parts of it. Like the field announcer nonchalantly stating "Chavos, ¡cálmense, por favor! ¡Cálmense! ("Boys, calm down, please! Calm down!") as if it was an episode of El Chavo del Ocho. Or the pocho in the stand exclaiming "¡Verga, pepper spray! ¡La verga! ("F--k, pepper spray! F--k!" but literally translating as "C--k, pepper spray! C--k!"). Or the other guy who screamed the whole thing valío verga ("it sucked" — but, more accurately, "it was worth d--k"). Or the woman saying, in the most chilango sing-song accent ever, "¡Ellos de pen-de-jooooos! ("They're acting like pendejos" — you gotta know chilangos to really get why that was so HILARIOUS). Or how the Pumas fans looked like exiles from an El Tri concert, like the guy below wearing the neon-green hat and a shirt that said "Azul y Oro La Vida Por Los Colores Pumas" ("Blue and Gold — My Life for the Puma Colors"). And, Mexican soccer fans being Mexican soccer fans, the liberal use by men and women alike of "puto" — "f--got."

Arellano also notes that, according to fans he spoke to after the game, there was "next-to-no security" on hand to curb the violence once it escalated. "There should've been massive security — instead, you had a bunch of rent-a-cops and a couple of cops who gladly used their batons," he writes.

According to the OC Register, "some" Santa Ana police officers were working the event, plus 14 private security guards.

However, as soon as the fight broke out, nearly 60 more deputies and officers from the Orange County Sheriff's Department were reportedly called to the scene — including a helicopter unit.

Of the dozens of brawl participants, five men were then arrested and charged with varying counts of assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, inciting a riot and resisting arrest, the Register reported.

The big five have been ID'd as:

• Josue Andres Rosas Garcia, 29, of Santa Ana
• Fernando Alberto Vargas, 34, of La Puente
• Israel Rodriguez Zarate, 36, of Pasadena
• Ricardo Anotnion Mora Abarca, 23, of Anaheim
• Jose Joaquin Velez, 28, of Los Angeles

May they all find peace.

Lead photo via Flickr