Interim U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley named his 20-man roster for the side's Feb. 7 clash with archrival Mexico Friday, picking 16 MLS players and four based in England.
Only eight players called in for the match have previous experience against the Tricolor, with Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan leading the way with seven appearances. Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni has faced the Mexicans five times.
"After weeks of getting to know this group and trying to develop an understanding of how we want to work together as a group every day, everyone is looking forward to the chance to finally play in one of the great rivalries in our sport," Bradley said. "As we look towards the tournaments this summer, this is an important opportunity to get these players experience and evaluate them at the same time."
Of the 12 players who have never faced Mexico, two have yet to make an international appearance for the Stars and Stripes. D.C. United midfielder Joshua Gros and Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson are both looking to make their U.S. bows.
The United States hasn't faced Mexico since claiming a 2-0 victory in Columbus, Ohio on Sept. 3, 2005 to clinch a berth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The USA has dominated their southern neighbors in recent years, going 6-0-1 against them on U.S. soil and 7-2-1 overall since 2000.
Bradley's side has a stern test ahead of it. Newly hired Mexican national team head coach Hugo Sanchez has called in a strong lineup that includes goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez, defender Rafael Marquez and forwards Jared Borgetti and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the latter returning to the squad after years out of favor while Ricardo LaVolpe was in charge.
"We all know results are important; at the same time this is the beginning of a four-year cycle and we need to take a look at some new faces and see if they will be able to help us down the road," Bradley said. "The only way to accomplish that is to expose them to difficult competition and difficult environments to see how they perform. That's what these games are all about."
The match will be part of a two-and-half-hour broadcast window on both ESPN2 and Univision beginning 9 p.m. ET, with kickoff slated for 9:25 p.m. On Sunday night, Bradley will discuss the Mexico match and other topics in a 30-minute conversation on Fox Soccer Channel at 11 p.m.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
Goalkeepers (2) - Joe Cannon (Los Angeles Galaxy), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
Defenders (7) - Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Bryan Namoff (D.C. United), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)
Midfielders (7) - Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Joshua Gros (D.C. United), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids)
Forwards (4) - Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
