ARLINGTON, Texas – Upon the conclusion of the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, in Arlington, Texas, Team Mexico head coach Gerardo Venegas can barely be heard over the din of the Mexican locker room.

“Sorry,” he says with a laugh, clearing his throat. “I’m losing my voice, I’ve been yelling so much.”

Team Mexico went 1-for-16 in Arlington to finish in fifth place out of six teams, but Venegas wasn’t yelling in anger. He’s his riders’ biggest cheerleader, offering encouragement, advice and pep talks.

All at full decibel inside AT&T Stadium.

“My job is to try to keep them positive,” Venegas said. “I told them, I said, ‘Hey, even if I get real mad, I don’t think anybody likes to lose.’ But I’m still proud of them, and I tell them to pick their heads up. It’s hard. It’s bull riding. We know (PBR Director of Livestock) Cody Lambert ain’t going to put some 80-point bulls. They’re going to bring bulls to be 90 or nothing. That’s the chance we’ve got to take. You’ve got to come out swinging. Unfortunately they didn’t have that much luck, but it don’t put us down. I’m proud of them.”

In the first two Global Cups, Team Mexico finished fifth out of five teams. In the last two, with six teams competing, the Mexican squads have avoided the bottom of the leaderboard.

Despite getting just one ride on the board in Arlington, it was good enough to beat the one score from the Team USA Wolves – Edgar Durazo’s 89 points aboard Cochise in Saturday’s Bonus Round. The score won the round, earned Durazo a fifth-place finish in the individual aggregate, set a new career-high score and was Mexico’s highest-ever score at a Global Cup.

“Edgar stepped up to the plate for the team,” said assistant coach Jerome Davis. “When we needed him, he showed up and pulled us out an 89. And then today, he was right at the whistle. Almost sticks it on another one. So Edgar, he’s going to be a main player for us for a long time, I imagine.”

Indeed, in Round 3, Durazo rode @PBR on TikTok for a heartbreaking 7.11 seconds.

Buckoffs north of seven seconds became an unfortunate pattern for Mexico, as Juan Carlos Contreras bucked off Freakin Wicked in 7.80 seconds in Round 3 as well.

Venegas believes this is because riders who come north from Mexico aren’t used to bulls that get stronger as the ride progresses.

“I think they get to expect the whistle,” Venegas said. “They’re waiting on the whistle. They’re not just riding and forget about the whistle. Some of those rides, you see four, five, six seconds, they’re just riding. And then they just kind of start of waiting for the whistle, instead of keep riding and let the whistle surprise you.

“They’ve got to focus a little bit more. As the ride progresses, you’ve got to keep on gassing it, too. Because these bulls, they ain’t going to give you a second chance.”

Both coaches, however, see that the talent is there.

“Even though we were second from last, whatever we were, at the end of the day, if we had two more seconds, we would’ve put three more scores on the board that quick,” Davis said. “And that’s pretty exciting, to know the potential’s there, and we can climb the ladder and do so much better. We was the under-underdogs, but we gained a little ground this weekend on them, and we’re going to try and go out and gain a little bit of ground next time.

“And these guys, they’re hungry. Somebody asked me a word to describe Team Mexico, and it’s hungry. These guys are hungry, and they want to win. It’s just going to take time. And I feel good about it.”

For Davis, this was his first Global Cup experience as assistant coach for Team Mexico and, while the results may not have translated to rides, his impact was felt by everyone. He hosted a training camp at his ranch in North Carolina over the summer, and Francisco Garcia Torres and Javier Garcia have already expressed the desire to stay with him again following the Global Cup.

“If they want to come, the door’s open,” Davis said. “The guys can come and buck bulls, and if we can have them, I will. I try to do it, because they kind of remind me of myself to a certain extent, leaving North Carolina and trying to make a living with a bull rope in your hand. And these guys, coming out of ol’ Mexico and not knowing nobody. So I’ve got a special place in my heart for them. It’s good stuff, and if I can help them, I will.”

Venegas is frank about the fact that his riders could do better than they did in Arlington, but he’s pleased with the fight they showed up against steep odds.

“I’m happy,” Venegas said. “Riding bulls is a tough profession. We know the task is an uphill cliff. It’s not a mountain. It’s a cliff. But we’re not scared of the challenge. If I did not believe in the guys, I would not accept the invite from the PBR if I want to coach. I believe that they can do it.

“If you were born again, you would do it all over again, even knowing the results. You’ve got to come try. That’s the only thing you have to do, is just try.”