U.S. Men's National Soccer Team Seeking Solid Beginning To Jurgen Klinsmann Era In Debut Against Mexico

There won't be as much on the line Wednesday evening as back in June when the United States faced Mexico in the Gold Cup Final, but the intrigue will certainly be there as the United States will be playing their first match under new manager Jurgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann, the former German national team star, took the helm of the USMNT on July 29th, after Bob Bradley had been relieved of his duties at the national level. It marks the first time since 1995 that the United States has had a foreign born coach lead the squad.

Mexico, which has beaten the United States three consecutive times, is currently the 20th ranked team in the world according to FIFA, while the Americans are ranked 30th. Fortunately for the United States, Mexico's squad will be with Manchester United's Javier Hernandez (commonly known as Chicharito) and Carlos Vela of Arsenal. With the English Premier League set to begin this weekend in England, some players from the league have chosen to continue prepping for the arrival of their season and not join the national squads for the latest series of friendlies. However the Mexican side still has plenty of firepower to potentially take a fourth straight match from the Americans.

For the United States, the squad is a fusion of many of the known talents such as Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, and the captain Carlos Bocanegra, who will be paired with younger and lesser known players such as defenders Edgar Castillo and Zach Lloyd, along with midfielder Brek Shea. It will be interesting not only seeing the lineup that Klinsmann uses but also how he directs the team's formation.