SOCCER-USA-MEXICO/USA PREVIEW U.S. team ready to face Mexico for Confederations Cup spot

Record ID: 135577

  • Title: SOCCER-USA-MEXICO/USA PREVIEW U.S. team ready to face Mexico for Confederations Cup spot
  • Date: 10th October 2015
  • Summary: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 9, 2015) (REUTERS) UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM CAPTAIN, MICHAEL BRADLEY, WARMING UP WITH TEAMMATES UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP BEFORE PRACTICE UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM AT PRACTICE IN THE ROSE BOWL UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM CONDUCTING PASSING DRILLS NEWS CONFEREN
  • Embargoed: 25th October 2015 12:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA99G7HJLHRDB2OSX20S6H0NAIL
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The United States National soccer team took to the field on Friday (September 9) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to train for their match against Mexico on Saturday (October 10).
    The match is a decisive one for the coveted spot to represent the CONCACAF region at the 2017 Confederations Cup, an eight-nation event to be held in Russia as a prelude to the 2018 World Cup.
    "You get to Friday of a week like this and everybody is ready to play. A lot's been written, a lot's been said but at the end of the day the most exciting part is for the players to be able to step on the field in a game like this, this is why we play, the opportunity to represent our country in games where everything's on the line against our big rivals. I think the week has been really good preparation in every way and as I said we'll step on the field tomorrow with a strong mentality ready to give anything and everything to come off the field with a win," team captain Michael Bradley said at a news conference ahead of practice.
    The rivalry between the two regional soccer powers took a long time to build as Mexico suffered only three losses in the first 32 encounters between the teams while winning on 24 occasions.
    However the games became more competitive - and heated - during the mid-1990s and the U.S. have established superiority this century, winning 23 times while Mexico have triumphed just five times.
    "We have this game and we have this sold out crowd and we have a lot of guests coming in that live here but maybe wear the green jersey first and hopefully by the end of the game they pull that jersey off and have the red, white and blue underneath on, this is our goal. We want to win over a lot of our Mexican friends, we won already a lot of them over the last four, five years and we keep on doing that. But it's going to be a very tight game, it's going to be a very intense game there's no doubt about it there's a lot of emotions out there on the field so they have to kind of stay very disciplined, stay very focused that's what we talked about the whole week through and then we gonna go for it," United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann, 51, told reporters while preparing his 23-man squad for the heavily anticipated showdown at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
    With a sellout crowd of 86,000, the U.S. Men's team expects a special kind of intensity for the match.
    "No, I think the game is special and I think you have to play on that it's exciting you have to enjoy the rivalry you have to enjoy the intensity, it's a good thing, it's special, it's different you have to make sure you play it that way," Tim Howard, the team's goalkeeper told Reuters.
    In 2002, the United States triumphed over Mexico at the World Cup, a major upset at the time which began to establish the American team as a competitive top-tier team internationally.
    "Looking at the past of this rivalry, really the only game you can pick out of that that had higher implications were the 2002 World Cup game so it's a, there's a lot on the table and we're looking to come out on top," Graham Zusi said.
    The last time the two teams met at the Rose Bowl was in 2011 when Mexico came from 0-2 down to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup final 4-2.
    Echoing his coach's sentiments, midfielder Jermaine Jones also hopes to win over more Mexican fans to support the U.S. team.
    "Tomorrow, I cannot say exactly how many people are here but I think it will be from support from both sides will be amazing and so you have Mexican people that maybe been born here in the states, they will cheers for both sides but you have to understand too that family is Mexican so they have to cheer first for Mexican but if we win maybe get that Cup maybe we can change them and they will come with us," Jermaine Jones said when asked about Mexican-American fans that may be divided in their loyalties at the match tomorrow.
    "Tomorrow is just about representing CONCACAF, if we win this game we're able to represent CONCACAF in the Confederations Cup, it's a big game, looking forward to it and getting to play a game against big rivals is always exciting," Clint Dempsey told Reuters.
    Mexico vs. USA game will air live at 6:00 p.m. PT on Univision in Spanish and Fox Sports in English.
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