and perhaps to prove himself in his debut -- he has called on a strong squad that includes a dozen players who featured in Mexico's 2006 World Cup campaign. Leading the way are goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez, defender Rafael Marquez and forward Jared Borgetti.
"I know the list, like everyone," Bradley said on a media conference call Monday. "I think it's a statement that they take this game very seriously. We will wait to see the decision in terms of who they put on the field to start."
Regardless of the lineup Hugo Sanchez chooses, Bradley said he's confident in his MLS-heavy squad. Sixteen of the 20 Bradley has named to the roster for Wednesday's game ply their trade in the U.S. top flight, with the remainder traveling from their bases in England.
With the exception of the England-based players and New England Revolution forward Taylor Twellman - who missed the team's initial camp due to injury -- the group has essentially been together since Jan. 4. That has provided plenty of time for the mostly inexperienced domestic-based squad to gel, Bradley said.
"We've had a group in camp that I think has come together very well," he said. "We felt that the Denmark game helped us assess some of these guys in their first match or their first couple of matches with the U.S. team. Now we move on."
For Bradley, moving on means concentrating on the results on the field while keeping individual player progress in mind. Come June, Bradley will have to decide which of the new players he's giving a shot have the ability to help the team in CONMEBOL's Copa America and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"That's constantly gone through all our heads," he said. "One of the things that we feel good about is that in the early months of this year, starting with obviously the camps that have led to both the Denmark and the Mexico games, an under-23 camp next month and then the double fixture date in March, we feel like we will have had an opportunity to see so many of our players and size up where they all are at this particular time. That will allow us to make good decisions going forward."
With more than 40,000 tickets sold by the end of last week, Bradley and his players expect a raucous crowd for the game, and they expect an overwhelming Mexican contingent. Both ESPN2 and Univision will lead into the main event with a 30-minute pregame show. Kickoff is set for 9:25 p.m. ET.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
