USMNT set to face Mexico on Wednesday in San Antonio

(Via U.S. Soccer) For just the second time in 2015, the U.S. MNT is back on U.S. soil, where it has gone unbeaten in its last 20 matches. Now the team is set for the 64th edition of the USA-Mexico rivalry on Wednesday, April 15 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1, UniMás and Univision Deportes Network. The match, which occurs outside of the official FIFA international fixture window, will feature U.S. and Mexican rosters mostly comprised of players from the MLS and Liga MX.

Klinsmann has 22 players in San Antonio, including Michael Bradley, who has scored four career goals against Mexico, as well as eight other players from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Roster. The U.S. will be without the services of team captain Clint Dempsey, who is sidelined with a hamstring strain, and forward Jozy Altidore who is required to serve a one-match suspension following a red card he received in the USA’s last friendly, a 1-1 draw against Switzerland on March 31 in Zurich. The U.S. is riding a five-game unbeaten streak against Mexico (2-0-3) including, the USA’s first victory against Mexico at Estadio Azteca, and the 0-0 draw away in qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. has not lost to Mexico (2-0-3) since Jurgen Klinsmann took over the helm as head coach in the summer of 2011.

• Gallery: #USMNT Arrives in Texas for Clash with Mexico
• Q+&A: Klinsmann “Some Performances Will Hopefully Give Us a Hint Toward the Gold Cup”
• Ventura Alvarado and William Yarbrough: Two Countries. One Team.

The teams last played just over a year ago on April 2, 2014 in a World Cup tune-up that ended in a 2-2 draw. In that game, Michael Bradley scored the game’s first goal and assisted on Chris Wondolowski’s strike. Rafael Marquez and Alan Pulido scored in the second half to rescue a draw for Mexico. Overall, the U.S. is 17-32-14 all-time against Mexico, and is 12-5-5 since 2000.

Mexico is coming off a 2014 FIFA World Cup where it advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Cameroon and Croatia and tying World Cup host and then No. 6- ranked Brazil in group play. Mexico fell to the Netherlands 2-1 in the first game of the knockout round after surrendering a penalty kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Only three players from that World Cup team appear on the roster for this match. Mexico will provide another test for the MNT in a year of challenging matches, which includes a meeting with No. 5-ranked Netherlands in Amsterdam on June 5, and a matchup against 2014 FIFA World Cup champion and world No. 1-Germany in Cologne on June 10.

In the meantime, the Under-23 Men’s National Team is coming off a camp in March where Andi Herzog earned his first win in his first game as head coach, defeating Bosnia 5-2 and his first loss, to Denmark 1-0. The team is team continuing its preparations for Olympic qualifying this October and will face its counterpart from Mexico on April 22 at 8 p.m. PT at StubHub Center in Carson, California.

USA VS. MEXICO:

• The United States is 17-32-14 all-time against Mexico and is unbeaten in the last five games between the two teams.
• Since 2000, the USA has posted a 12-5-5 record against Mexico, including a 10-2-4 record at home during that span.
• The most recent encounter was April 2, 2014, in a World Cup tune-up that ended in a 2-2 draw. Michael Bradley tallied three points, scoring the game’s first goal and assisting on Chris Wondolowski’s. Rafael Marquez and Alan Pulido scored in the second half for Mexico.
• The U.S. has gone 2-0-3 against Mexico during Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure as head coach, including the USA’s first victory against Mexico at Estadio Azteca, and the 0-0 draw away in qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
• It has been almost four full years since the U.S. last loss to El Tri. That defeat came in the final of the 2011 Gold Cup when Mexico defeated the USA 4-2. Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan scored goals for the U.S., which jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first 25 minutes. Mexico would rally to score the next four goals, a pair of from Pablo Barrera and goals from Andres Guardado and Giovani dos Santos.
• U.S. goalkeeper William Yarbrough and Mexico’s Luis Montes both play for Liga MX Club León. Greg Garza and Joe Carona are Liga MX teammates with Mexico’s Cirilo Saucedo at Club Tijuana.

U.S. Men’s National Team by Position – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS (7): Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United) Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
FORWARDS (5): Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Julian Green (Hamburg), Jordan Morris (Stanford University), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• Ten different MLS teams are represented on the roster, with no team having more than two members.
• Four players from this roster come from Liga MX: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), and William Yarbrough (Club Leon).
• A total of nine players on the roster were members of the 2014 FIFA World Cup roster that traveled to Brazil and helped the USA advance out of the “Group of Death.”
• Perry Kitchen was added to the roster to replace Michael Orozco, who will not travel to San Antonio following discussions with his club.
• Michael Bradley is the leading cap-winner from this group having played 95 international matches.
• Bradley has scored four goals against Mexico, including a double on Feb. 11, 2009, in the 2-0 win in Columbus, Ohio, to kick off the final round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• Bradley and Chris Wondolowski both scored goals in the USA’s last match vs. Mexico on April 2, 2014, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
• Brek Shea has scored two goals in four matches to start 2015, including a free kick stunner against Switzerland. Bradley is the other goal scorer on this roster.
• Liga MX-based Alvarado and Yarbrough both earned their first caps with the U.S. during the MNT’s March games in Europe. Alvarado entered in the 80th minute of the March 31 game against Denmark, taking over for Michael Orozco who was having knee issues
• Yarbrough, 26, was born and raised in Mexico to two American parents and earned his first cap for the U.S. MNT on March 31 against Switzerland. He marshaled the backline for Club Leon to the 2013 Apertura and 2014 Clausura titles.
• Kyle Beckerman returns to the team for his first international action of 2015 since playing against Ireland on Nov. 18, 2014, in Dublin. He played a role in the USA’s World Cup run in 2014, starting in all three group stage matches.
• Juan Agudelo’s last appearance with the MNT came when he was subbed on in the second half of the game against Ukraine on April 15, 2014.
• It will be a homecoming of sorts for four players, as Greg Garza (Grapevine), Omar Gonzalez (Dallas), Lee Nguyen (McKinney) and Brek Shea (Bryan) are all Texas natives.
• Six players are alumni of U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy: Bill Hamid (D.C. United Academy), DeAndre Yedlin (Crossfire Premier & Seattle Sounders Academy), Corona (Nomads SC), Agudelo (New York Red Bulls Academy), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders Academy) and Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy Academy).
• Greg Garza played in the last five games of 2014, starting three, and also started in the match against Denmark on March 31, 2015. The Club Tijuana left back has been a part of every level of U.S. National Team programming, beginning with the U-14’s.
• Joe Corona is back on the roster for the first time since he helped the U.S. earn a 1-1 draw against Honduras on October 14, 2014, when he came on in the second half. Corona grew up with a foot in two countries, having been raised in San Diego, but spending time in Mexico where he built his professional career playing for Club Tijuana.
• Omar Gonzalez is back on the roster for the first time since he came on in the 62nd minute of the U.S’s game against Ecuador on October 10, 2014.
• Julian Green made his U.S. MNT debut against Mexico, coming on in the 59th minute oflast year’s 2-2 draw with Mexico.

Julian Green battled Marco Fabian and Mexico in his debut match for the USA in 2004.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS:

• Midfielder Michael Bradley is inching closer to the century cap mark with 95 appearances since debuting for the MNT in 2006. He is tied with Brian McBride for 17th on the MNT all-time list.
• Bradley is tied for 13th on the all-time goals scored list with Marcelo Balboa and Hugo Perez with 13 goals scored.
• Nick Rimando ranks fifth on the all-time wins list with 12. The Real Salt Lake man is 12-2-2 all-time with the USA, including four shutouts.
• U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (34-17-12) ranks third among the USA’s all-time winningest coaches. Ahead of Klinsmann are National Soccer Hall of Famers, Bruce Arena (71) and Bob Bradley (43).

2015 U.S. MNT SCHEDULE:

JURGEN KLINSMANN FACT FILE: Jurgen Klinsmann became the 35th head coach in the history of the U.S. Men’s National Team on July 29, 2011. Here is a look at the program’s achievements since that time:

• Overall, Klinsmann has a 34-17-12 record, third on the U.S. MNT’s all-time coaching wins list. The top five include: Bruce Arena (71), Bob Bradley (43), Klinsmann (34), Bora Milutinovic (30) and Steve Sampson (26).
• He won a record-setting 13 straight games at home from June 2, 2013 to Feb. 1, 2014, and has guided the team to an unbeaten record of 17-0-3 in its past 20 matches on home soil.
• He led the MNT to a 12-game winning streak in 2013, the longest in program history.
• The U.S. finished 2013 with a 16-4-3 record. The 16 victories and .761 winning percentage are all-time U.S. MNT records for a calendar year.
• The U.S. finished the final round of 2013 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying atop the Hexagonal with a 7-1-2 overall record, including an unblemished 5-0-0 home record that was achieved by pitching clean sheets in all five matches.
• The team won six straight games en route to capturing the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, during which the squad scored a tournament-record 20 goals.
• Committed to challenging the group against the best, under Klinsmann, the United States has a 2-3-2 record against teams ranked in the top 10 in the world. With Klinsmann at the helm, the U.S. has also collected four historic victories:
  • Beating four-time World Cup champion Italy for the first time
  • Earning the first win against Mexico on Mexican soil
  • Defeating Jamaica on the road for the first time in World Cup Qualifying
  • Topping second-ranked Germany in U.S. Soccer’s Centennial Celebration Match
• Klinsmann’s U.S. coaching debut was a 1-1 draw against Mexico on Aug. 10, 2011, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. During Klinsmann’s abbreviated 2011 tenure, the USA’s two victories included a 1-0 win against Honduras (Oct. 8) and a 3-2 victory against Slovenia (Nov. 15).
• Klinsmann was named Germany’s National Team manager in 2004 and guided Germany to a 20-6-8 record and a third-place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He earned Coach of the Year honors in Germany, and two years later, he took over the head coaching position at Germany’s most high-profile club, Bayern Munich.
• As a player, Klinsmann played 17 club seasons from 1981-98 with the following teams: Stuttgarter Kickers (1981-84), VfB Stuttgart (1984-89), Internazionale (1989-92), Monaco (1992-94), Tottenham Hotspur (1994-95, 97-98), Bayern Munich (1995-97) and Sampdoria (1997-98). During that time, he scored 226 goals in 506 appearances. He was named German Player of the Year in 1988 and 1994 and FWA Footballer of the Year in 1995.
• Klinsmann earned 108 caps with the German National Team, scoring 47 goals. He participated in three World Cups (1990, 1994 and 1998) and won the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
• Klinsmann was born on July 30, 1964, in Goppingen, Germany.

IN FOCUS: MEXICO
Federacion Mexicana de Futbol (FMF)
Founded: 1927
FIFA affiliation: 1929
Head Coach: Miguel Herrera
FIFA World Ranking: 18
Best World Cup Finish: Quarterfinal, 1970, 1986
Leading Cap-Winner: Claudio Suarez (178)
Leading Goalscorer: Jared Borgetti (46)

MEXICO ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey), Cirilo Saucedo (Club Tijuana)
DEFENDERS (9): Oswaldo Alanis (Santos Laguna), George Corral (Queretaro), Francisco Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Julio Cesar Dominguez (Cruz Azul), Gerardo Flores (Cruz Azul), Hiram Mier (Monterrey), Luis Rodríguez (Chiapas), Carlos Salcedo (Chivas), Efrain Velarde (Monterrey)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Adrian Aldrete (Santos Laguna), Luis Montes (Leon), Mario Osuna (Queretaro), Antonio Rios (Toluca)
FORWARDS (4): Marco Bueno (Toluca), Carlos Esquivel (Toluca), Eduardo Herrera (Pumas), Erick Torres (Chivas)

MEXICO ROSTER NOTES:

• Since taking over in October 2013, head coach Miguel Herrera has helped lead the team to a 14-4-4 record, but he has never had a victory over the United States.
• This is the first call-up for Carlos Salcedo, Luis Alfonso and Mario Osuna.
• In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Mexico advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Cameroon and Croatia and tying World Cup host and then No. 6- ranked Brazil. Mexico fell to Holland 2-1 in the first game of the knockout round after surrendering a penalty-kick goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
• Three players from its 2014 FIFA World Cup roster appear on this roster.
• Carlos Salcedo and Erick Torres, who currently play Liga MX for Chivas, previously spent time in MLS. Torres scored 22 goals in 44 career appearances for Chivas USA and Salcedo played in 25 games and scored one goal at Real Salt Lake. Torres will join the Houston Dynamo at the end of the Liga MX season.
• Eduardo Herrera scored the game-winning-goal in Mexico’s most recent fixture, which was against Paraguay.

MNT defender Omar Gonzalez wins a hearder over Mexico’s Alán Pulido in the teams’ last encounter, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

LAST TIME:

On the field against Mexico:
April. 2, 2014 – University of Phoenix Stadium; Glendale, Arizona – International Friendly 

             USA                2          Michael Bradley, 15’                         Chris Wondowlski, 28’
MEX                2          Rafael Marquez, 49’                          Alan Pulido, 67’

Lineups:
USA: 1-Nick Rimando; 6-Tony Beltran (2-DeAndre Yedlin, 72), 3-Omar Gonzalez, 5-Matt Besler (21-Clarence Goodson, 59), 15-Michael Parkhurst; 14-Kyle Beckerman (7-Maurice Edu, 72), 19-Graham Zusi (10-Landon Donovan, 59), 11-Brad Davis (9-Julian Green, 59), 4-Michael Bradley; 17-Chris Wondolowski (18-Eddie Johnson, 64), 8-Clint Dempsey (capt.)
Substitutions Not Used: 12-Sean Johnson, 16-Luis Gil, 22-Bill Hamid
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

MEX: 23-Moisés Muñoz (1-Alfredo Talavera, 46); 28-Rogelio Chávez (22-Paúl Aguilar, 63), 6-Juan Carlos Valenzuela, 4-Rafael Márquez (capt.), 2-Francisco Javier Rodríguez; 27-Carlos Peña (9-Raúl Jiménez, 46), 17-Jesús Zavala, 7-Miguel Layun (16-Miguel Ángel Ponce, 68);  11-Alán Pulido, 18-Isaac Brizuela (10-Luis Montes, 57), 8-Marco Fabián
Substitutions Not Used: 5-Enrique Pérez, 26-Juan Carlos Medina
Head coach: Miguel Herrera