Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined by Alderman Daniel Solis met with Cuauhtémoc Blanco, an international soccer star and former Chicago Fire player who attended last week’s friendly pre-World Cup soccer match at Soldier Field.

“Cuauhtémoc Blanco is a memorable Chicago Fire player,” Mayor Emanuel said. “I am honored to welcome Cuauhtémoc back to Chicago, and proud to host both of these teams and their thousands of fans. I look forward to hosting national soccer teams at Chicago’s Soldier Field in the future.”

Last week’s matchup at Chicago’s Soldier Field between Mexico and Bosnia-Herzegovina represented the first rematch between the teams since 2012. Chicago hosted both teams in the May of 2012 as part of Mexico’s U.S. Blanco, who played his last match as a member of Mexico’s national team on May 28, participated in last week’s match as a commentator for Televisa Deportes. He was a member of the Chicago Fire from 2007 – 2009 and will officially retire from soccer later this year at the age of 41.