COLUMBUS, Ohio - Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer is among 21 players called in by U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley to U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., to begin preparations for the Feb. 6 match against Mexico in Houston. The final roster for the Mexico match, which may include more European-based players, will be finalized prior to the team's departure from Carson on Feb. 3.
More than 43,000 tickets have been sold for the showdown with the USA's regional rivals on Feb. 6 in Houston. Kickoff at Reliant Stadium is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision, as well as on 75 affiliates of the Fútbol de Primera Radio Network. Fans can also follow the game live via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.
All 21 players on the Carson roster were part of the group that began training in early January and finished with a 2-0 win against Sweden on Jan. 19 at the HDC. Missing are four members of the Under-23 Men's National Team - Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan and Marvell Wynne - who will participate in the U-23 camp being held from Jan. 24-Feb. 2 in Bradenton, Fla. It is a largely domestic-based group, featuring 16 players who ply their trade in the United States. Hesmer, 26, is entering his second season with the Crew and fifth overall in MLS. He went 8-7-5 with a 1.45 goals-against average in 20 starts in 2007, his first year in Columbus.
The list of Scandinavian-based players on the roster has grown to five, with Clarence Goodson (IK Start) and Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK) both signing contracts to head to Norway at the conclusion of their service. They join Aalborg BK captain Dan Califf, Ramiro Corrales and Jeremiah White, who collected his first cap when he replaced Donovan in the second half of the Sweden match.
After the Sweden match, the U.S. will compete in a series of friendlies before beginning the attempt to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World Cup finals when they take on the winner of the first round series between Barbados and Dominica. The U.S. will host their first qualifier on June 15, with the second leg to be played between June 18-21 on the road.
The Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members, it will open its 13th season overall and tenth in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, March 29, when it plays host to Eastern Conference-rival Toronto FC.
