HOUSTON- U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley today named the 22 players that will travel to Houston to prepare for the upcoming showdown with Mexico. Among them are four members of the Houston Dynamo, who will look for the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd at Reliant Stadium next Wednesday.
Houston-native and Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden was called up, along with two other members of the U.S. U-23 camp. Holden will look to earn his first cap with the senior squad. Defender Eddie Robinson, who recently scored his first goal with the Red, White, and Blue, while also earning his first international cap against Sweden, returns to the team for the second-consecutive game. Other returning Dynamo members are midfielders Brad Davis and Ricardo Clark (See below for full roster and practice schedule in Houston).
"Being called up to the National Team is an indescribable feeling," said Holden. "Having the possibility to play in front of a sold-out stadium against Mexico in my home town makes things even more special for me. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to earn my first cap in Houston."
The match against the Tricolores will be part of a two-and-half-hour broadcast window on both ESPN2 and Univision beginning at 8:00 p.m. CT.
"With the match falling on an international fixture date, this is an excellent opportunity to get the nucleus of our team together as we continue to prepare for World Cup qualifying," said Bradley, who has collected a 13-5-1 record since becoming head coach last year. "The special nature of a USA-Mexico match provides a great test for our players, and it is something that as players and coaches we all look forward to. The experience can only benefit our group as we attempt to build a team that will help us achieve to goal of competing in South Africa in 2010."
The match on February 6 will mark the 54th meeting between the USA and Mexico. The U.S. has dominated the series of late, collecting an 8-0-1 home record against Mexico since 2000. During that span, the USA has netted 15 goals, while the Mexicans scored only a single goal on American soil in this decade. In the team's last meeting, the U.S. came from behind on goals by Donovan and Benny Feilhaber to capture their second-consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup title.
The U.S. has a lifetime record of 14-29-10 against Mexico in a series that dates to 1934, but the U.S. has a 12-6-8 advantage in home matches since 1957. Since the rivalry between these two teams began in earnest in 1990, the sides have played 26 times, with the U.S. holding a 12-7-7 advantage. In the teams' most significant matchup, the United States defeated Mexico, 2-0, in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, advancing the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in 72 years.
More than 53,000 tickets have been sold for the second-ever meeting between the teams at Reliant Stadium. On May 8, 2003, nearly 70,000 fans packed the house to witness a fiercely contested 0-0 draw. The U.S. is currently riding an 8-0-1 unbeaten run on home soil against Mexico.
ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)
U.S. Men's National Team Practice Schedule in Houston*
Monday, February 4: 4:00-6:00 p.m., Robertson Stadium, University of Houston.
Tuesday, February 5: 5:00-6:00 p.m., Reliant Stadium.
*Times and locations subject to change without notice. For updated practice times and locations, please contact David Applegate, U.S. Men's National Team's Press Officer, at dapplegate@ussoccer.com, or 312-528-1307.
