SOCCER PREVIEW: USMNT vs. Mexico
April 15, 2015 | Sports,
By: Taylor Wilson, KCOU Sports
Today marks the latest chapter in what has been labeled by a few Spanish words in recent years: Dos A Cero.
The United States Men’s National Team faces off against Mexico in San Antonio and should mark the latest experimental phase of 2015 for Jürgen Klinsmann. While tonight’s match comes outside a FIFA window and won’t include some of either team’s European-based players, it should feature a slew of domestic stars, up-and-comers, and plenty of good old-fashioned USA/Mexico beef.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Watch: Fox Sports 1
Jürgen Klinsmann’s squad will be full of both young and domestically based players. Only DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham) and Julian Green (on loan at Hamburg) will have to jet across the Atlantic, while the remaining players will join from North American clubs.
Full Squads:
U.S. Men’s National Team
Goalkeepers: Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Leon)
Defense: Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Brek Shea (Orlando City), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur), Greg Garza (Tijuana), Matt Besler (Sporting KC), Michael Orozco Fiscal (Puebla), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Ventura Alvarado (Club America)
Midfielders: Joe Corona (Tijuana), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Forwards: Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy), Jordan Morris (Stanford/Sounders U-23), Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Julian Green (Hamburg)
Mexico National Team
Goalkeepers: Cirilo Saucedo (Tijuana), Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey)
Defenders: Francisco “Maza” Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Julio Dominguez (Cruz Azul), Oswaldo Alanis (Santos), Adrian Aldrete (Santos), George Corral (Queretaro), Gerardo Flores (Cruz Azul), Hiram Mier (Monterrey), Efrain Velarde (Monterrey), Carlos Salcedo (Chivas)
Midfielders: Luis Montes (Leon), Antonio Rios (Toluca), Jürgen Damm (Pachuca), Mario Osuna (Queretaro), Luis Rodriguez (Chiapas)
Forwards: Oribe Peralta (Club America), Erick “Cubo” Torres (Chivas), Eduardo Herrera (Pumas)
Players To Watch:
USMNT:
DeAndre Yedlin
The 21-year-old Seattle native has had a patchy first few months in North London after joining Spurs in January. Despite only sporadically getting substitute minutes with the Tottenham U-21 team, Yedlin made his senior side debut on Saturday, subbing in for Vlad Chiriches in the 79th minute of a 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa. Yedlin is currently listed as part of Tottenham’s senior team on their website and the next few weeks will be huge as he decides whether to push for a loan spell elsewhere to get more playing time or try to work his way into the Spurs ranks. There’s also ongoing gossip that he may try to switch from right back to a position in midfield, something we’ll continue to look out for in his club and country appearances.
Mexico:
Erick Torres
Like the USMNT, this will not be El Tri‘s “A” team. That means no splashy names like Chicharito or Giovanni Dos Santos. It does mean we’ll get to watch a swath of young, mainly domestically based Mexican talent. Torres turned 22 in January and has already been playing senior professional soccer for five years (mainly with Chivas Guadalajara). Americans came to know him when he netted 22 goals in 44 caps for Chivas USA. Despite this early success, tonight will mark just his 4th cap for the boys in green so look for him to have something to prove to manager Miguel Herrera.