Rose Bowl general manager Darryl Dunn says Saturday's Confederations Cup playoff match between the United States and Mexico will adopt fan safety measures in hopes of avoiding similar crowd trouble experienced at the venue in 2011's Gold Cup final between the two sides.
A reported 27 individuals were arrested at the 2011 match on fighting and alcohol-related charges. To avoid a repeat of that scenario on Saturday, Dunn has indicated that a number of measures -- including increased police presence -- have been instituted to ensure a safer environment for fans of both teams.
"It's going to be more akin to a Rose Bowl game," Dunn told the LA Times, referring to the revered college football postseason game. "You go to a Rose Bowl game and you have half the stadium for one school and the other half for the other."
Among the measures taken is a new ticket distribution system, which will keep U.S. and Mexico fans in separate sections.
The company which holds the commercial rights for the U.S. and Mexico, Soccer United Marketing, gave out a total of 50,000 tickets to registered supporters of each country's federation in designated locations at opposite ends of the stadium.
The remainder of the tickets will be allocated through a lottery system, through which fans can choose to sit nearest the fan group of their choosing in the 86,000-seat stadium.
"That will play a big, big role in the way the fan base is going to react on the day of the game," Jurgen Mainka, a CONCACAF spokesman, told the paper. "Because one is not going to be overpowering the other."
The U.S. and Mexico are playing for a berth in next summer's Confederations Cup tournament in Russia, which is a prestigious warm-up competition staged in the host country the summer before a World Cup year.