United States to face Mexico in April 2014 in a World Cup warm-up match

Bitter rivals USA and Mexico are set to square off in one of the final warm-up games for the 2014 World Cup, with a lot of fireworks expected despite the fact that this is a friendly game.

The match takes place on April 2 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and tickets for the big game are already available at TicketCenter.com.

United States will play three warm-up games in the build up to the 2014 World Cup, with the Mexico game sandwiched between international friendlies against Ukraine and Nigeria.

Team USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann plans to use the high-profile match against their arch rivals to test his charges before he delivers the final verdict on a 23-man squad that will represent the country in Brazil.

“We are going to be watching our players very carefully before making final decisions on the roster for the World Cup, so this will be a great benchmark to see where they are at and how they compete against our biggest rivals,” US boss Juergen Klinsmann said.

Preparation for 2014 World Cup in Brazil

United States

United States eased off to a first place in the CONCACAF Zone of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, having picked up 22 points from 10 qualifying matches, finishing no less than 11 points above rivals Mexico.

The World Cup draw, however, was not kind on Jurgen Klinsmann’s charges as they were pitted against title contenders Germany, Euro 2012 semi-finalists Portugal and Ghana. This is enough to suggest Team USA face a very difficult task in an attempt to get past the group stage.

Mexico

Mexico were largely disappointing in the World Cup qualifying campaign, and they almost missed out on the tournament finals altogether having finished the campaign in fourth place. El Tri, nevertheless, secured their place in Brazil thanks to a 9-3 aggregate win over New Zealand in the play-offs.

Despite being placed in Group A with hosts Brazil, Mexico stand a decent chance of progressing from their group, with Croatia and Cameroon the other two sides they will face in the opening stage of the competition.

Star players to watch

United States

Former Tottenham forward Clint Dempsey was team’s top scorer in the qualifiers, netting 8 goals in 14 appearances and he will need to be at his best if USA are to stand any chance of pulling off a major surprise. MLS star Landon Donovan’s quality and experience could prove to be a major asset in Brazil, with the forward scoring 57 goals in 155 appearances for the national team. Former Roma midfielder Michael Bradley will be pulling the strings in midfield.

Mexico

With Carlos Vela making himself unavailable for selection, El Tri will be heavily relying on attacking partnership of Javier Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos. The Manchester United forward has continued to impress on international stage in spite of the lack of playing time at club level and he is likely to be team’s first choice attacker in Brazil. Barcelona graduate Giovani Dos Santos has kick-started his career at Villarreal and he will be eager to impress at the biggest stage after failing to score in four appearances at the 2010 World Cup.

To purchase ticket for this friendly game, visit www.TicketCenter.com

Teams: USA vs. Mexico
When: Wed, Apr 02 2014 at 8:00PM
Where: University Of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizon