Consider the upcoming U.S.-Mexico game in Glendale, Ariz., as sort of a dress rehearsal. The April 19 meeting between the old rivals is an ad hoc friendly scheduled outside a FIFA international window, meaning player releases aren’t compulsory, and training time will be limited to a day or two. Fans will buy tickets because they always do, but there will be nothing at stake inside the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium.
There are considerable stakes around the corner, however. The U.S. and Mexico will meet again June 15 in Las Vegas in a Concacaf Nations League semifinal (the final and bronze medal games are three days later). The Gold Cup—the regional championship tournament—then kicks off June 24. Those games matter. And thanks to the compressed schedule, U.S. coach Anthony Hudson is likely going to be relying on a broad swath of the American player pool as the men based in Europe enter their offseasons, and the Gold Cup continues into mid-July.
So the 23-man team unveiled Wednesday is about more than next week’s friendly. It’s an indication of who Hudson and his staff might be relying on this summer to contribute to the defense of the Nations League and Gold Cup titles. The U.S. could’ve gone young and experimental in Glendale. But Hudson’s team features 10 World Cup veterans and only three players—defenders Caleb Wiley and Joshua Wynder and goalkeeper Drake Callender—making their first appearance on a senior roster.
