One of the fiercest rivalries in international soccer will be renewed on Wednesday night when the U.S. National Team faces Mexico for the 63rd time in its history. The friendly is being played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m. PT on FOX Sports 1.
The USA’s roster features 14 MLS players, including Sounders FC captain Brad Evans, who would earn his 18th cap with an appearance in Wednesday’s match. DeAndre Yedlin, the first Homegrown Player in Sounders FC history, was also called in by Jurgen Klinsmann after making his Tottenham Hotspur debut last weekend.
Another young player with ties to the Emerald City, Sounders Academy product and Stanford forward Jordan Morris is part of the 22-man squad, as well.
The most recent matchup between the Americans and Mexico – a 2-2 draw in April of 2014 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona – featured a crowd of more than 59,000 people. Wednesday’s friendly is expected to draw a sellout crowd of 65,000 at the Alamodome.
“I see this game as a huge opportunity for players coming in and playing in front of a sold-out stadium,” Klinsmann told USsoccer.com. “These are the games where you mature. You really try to express yourself and show what you have. And therefore, we are thankful that we can play this game.”
This match is part of both teams’ preparation for July’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The USA and Mexico have met three times in the Gold Cup Final since 2007.
Mexico was victorious in three straight meetings between the sides from 2009 to 2011 – including a pair of Gold Cup Finals – but the USA is unbeaten against its archrival since Klinsmann became Head Coach. Since the year 2000, the USA is 12-5-5 in fixtures with Mexico.
“I enjoy it every time we face Mexico, because they are a really good team,” Klinsmann said. “It’s always an exciting game. Both sides want to win it badly, so that means it’s attacking football. And there’s nothing more fun than both teams attacking, going for it.”
All 19 players on the Mexican roster for Wednesday’s friendly are based in Liga MX, the country’s top flight. MLS fans will recognize Mexico forward Erick “Cubo” Torres, who is on loan from the Houston Dynamo to Chivas Guadalajara until the end of the Liga MX season. Torres scored 15 goals for Chivas USA last season.
So far in 2015, Mexico has played a pair of friendlies with South American teams, earning 1-0 victories over both Ecuador and Paraguay. The USA is 1-2-1 this year, including a 2-0 win over Panama on February 8 that Sounders FC forward Clint Dempsey notched a goal in.
Although Dempsey won’t be playing on Wednesday, Evans will be joined in San Antonio by Sounders teammate Gonzalo Pineda. A former Mexican National Team midfielder, Pineda will be featured on FOX’s broadcast of the match.
