US-Mexico is high-stakes
Both Mexico and the US team failed to land Juergen Klinsmann as national team coach after the 2006 World Cup. The countries' second choices -- Bob Bradley for the United States and Hugo Sanchez for Mexico -- will have much at stake when the teams meet in Glendale, Ariz., tonight. A near-capacity crowd is expected at 60,000-seat University of Phoenix Stadium.
Bradley called in four Europe-based players: Carlos Bocanegra and former Revolution midfielder Clint Dempsey from Fulham FC, Bobby Convey (Reading), and goalkeeper Tim Howard (Everton). Sanchez also went to his foreign-based stars, led by Barcelona's Rafa Marquez, and loaded up with strikers Adolfo Bautista and Omar Bravo (CD Guadalajara), Jared Borgetti and Kikin Fonseca (Cruz Azul), and Cuauhtemoc Blanco (America).
Bradley and Sanchez, both 48, grew up playing forward. Bradley's playing career was interrupted by injury, and he began coaching at age 22, winning the MLS and US Open cups in his first professional coaching position with the Chicago Fire in 1998. Sanchez became one of the top strikers in Europe, concluding his playing career with Dallas in MLS, then entering the coaching ranks in 2004 and winning the Mexican championship with UNAM Pumas.
Mexico has a 29-12-10 all-time record but is 7-10-7 against the United States since 1990 and has not defeated the US team away from home since a 2-1 victory March 13, 1999, in San Diego; since then, the US team has outscored Mexico, 9-0, in six home games. Sanchez is attempting to reassert Mexico's hegemony over the US team. "I have read the quotes from the Mexican camp and I know the mentality of Hugo Sanchez is to erase some of those results," Bradley said. "It shows his competitiveness, which has always marked his career.
"We are concentrating on our side of things. Every day we are challenging the players, trying to create the right environment not only to prepare for this game but to go into creating a good foundation for the next four years.
"Our players are certainly aware of the record, many of them participated in those games, and Hugo has used those results [as motivation], and that puts more on the games. We expect a great atmosphere. Mexico is typically well-supported in these kinds of matches and we know what that's like. There will still be a great number of US supporters and the atmosphere will be exciting, loud."
Bradley, succeeding Bruce Arena, was named interim coach in December; the United States defeated Denmark, 3-1, in his debut. "I am looking forward to this game," Bradley said. "I have not allowed this 'interim' thing to factor into any part of it. I feel good and I am anxious to put the team out on the field in an important game.
"I tell players that, at the end of camp, the spotlight comes on when you have a match, and those 90 minutes tells a lot about what went on in camp. Against Mexico, the spotlight will come on very, very brightly. When the players step on the field, they need to go out there with confidence and go after Mexico and put them under pressure and play the game at that kind of tempo. US teams have had success in past years and Bruce made sure they always went after Mexico."
Dempsey and Houston's Ricardo Clark, who scored a goal against the Danes, could be playing key roles in midfield.
"I am excited to see his fearlessness and aggressiveness going forward and getting into the [penalty area]," Bradley said of Dempsey. "We all know he scored a great goal in the World Cup, and in the MLS he has shown a level of unpredictability and creativity in terms of taking certain plays and creating goal-scoring situations.
"I had a discussion with him and he feels good about his first few weeks in England. As he matures and plays in big games, he is only going to get better with the national team."
