U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 22 players that will travel to Houston to prepare for the upcoming showdown with Mexico at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The match will be part of a two-and-half-hour broadcast window on both ESPN2 and Univision beginning at 8 p.m. CT. Fans will also be able to listen to the match on 75 affiliates of the Fútbol de Primera Radio Network, and can follow live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
More than 53,000 tickets have been sold for the second-ever meeting between the teams at Reliant Stadium. On May 8, 2003, nearly 70,000 fans packed the house to witness a fiercely contested 0-0 draw. The U.S. is currently riding an 8-0-1 unbeaten run on home soil against Mexico.
"With the match falling on an international fixture date, this is an excellent opportunity to get the nucleus of our team together as we continue to prepare for World Cup qualifying," said Bradley, who has collected a 13-5-1 record since becoming head coach last year. “The special nature of a USA-Mexico match provides a great test for our players, and it is something that as players and coaches we all look forward to. The experience can only benefit our group as we attempt to build a team that will help us achieve to goal of competing in South Africa in 2010.”
Seven players on the roster were on the field when the teams last met in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. In front of more than 60,000 fans in Chicago, goals by Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber lifted the U.S. to a 2-1 victory and their second consecutive Gold Cup title.
Bradley has called on a dozen players from European-based clubs, including the Fulham duo of Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard joins the U.S. fold after a stellar year in 2007, appearing in a career-high 10 matches and earning eight victories. Everton are currently in fourth place in the English Premier League table. SC Heerenveen midfielder Michael Bradley enters the camp in fine form in league play, having scored six goals in his team’s last five matches to help elevate Heerenveen into second place in the Dutch Eredivisie.
| Player Name | Pos. | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Howard | GK | 26 | Everton  |
| Brad Guzan | GK | 5 | Chivas USA  |
| Carlos Bocanegra | D | 53 | Fulham |
| Oguchi Onyewu | D | 28 | Standard de Liege  |
| Heath Pearce | D | 10 | Hansa Rostock  |
| Ramiro Corrales | D | 5 | SK Brann  |
| Drew Moor | D | 3 | FC Dallas |
| Michael Parkhurst | D | 3 | New England Revolution |
| Eddie Robinson | D | 1 | Houston Dynamo |
| Eddie Lewis | M/D | 73 | Derby County |
| Bobby Convey | M | 45 | Reading |
| Benny Feilhaber | M | 14 | Derby County |
| Michael Bradley | M | 14 | SC Heerenveen  |
| Ricardo Clark | M | 11 | Houston Dynamo |
| Brad Davis | M | 3 | Houston Dynamo |
| Freddy Adu | M | 11 | SL Benfica  |
| Maurice Edu | M | 3 | Toronto FC  |
| Stuart Holden | M | 0 | Houston Dynamo |
| Landon Donovan | F | 97 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Clint Dempsey | F | 36 | Fulham FC |
| Pat Noonan | F | 14 | Aalesund FK |
| Josmer Altidore | F | 2 | Red Bull New York |