U.S. men

MLS-dominated squad ready to take on mixed Mexican side in Wednesday friendly in Denver.

(Monday, April 1, 2002) -- The United States men, comprised almost totally of players from Major League Soccer, take on a combined Mexico "A" and "B" team in Denver Wednesday night in a match hastily arranged for Spanish-language television.

The 10 p.m. (ET) game between World Cup qualifiers will be aired only on Telemundo which recently entered into a new long-term deal with the United States Soccer Federation.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena has called in only two players based in Europe -- defenders Frankie Hejduk of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and Greg Vanney of Bastia in France.

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre has assembled a somewhat curious squad with a mix of starters, players who still hope to make the World Cup roster, and some older players who will not be going to South Korea and Japan, wbut whose presence will spice up the telecast.

Anschutz Entertainment Group, which operates six of 10 MLS teams, and the new MLS promotional arm Soccer United Marketing (SUM), want to become the U.S. promoter of Mexican national-team matches, as well as package television rights for its games. The growth of this relationship can be seen in Wednesday’s doubleheader, which will open with an MLS match between D.C. United and the host Colorado Rapids, both AEG teams, as well as a Mexico-Bulgaria friendly April 17 at Giants Stadium, home of the MetroStars, another Anschutz MLS entry.

With the exception of Kasey Keller not being available to play goal, Arena’s roster is strikingly similar to the team that captured the CONCACAF Gold Cup and defeated Honduras and Ecuador in exhibitions in the U.S.

Vanney was not called in for the U.S. 4-2 loss at Germany Wednesday because Arena planned to play David Regis for the full 90 minutes and there was no training camp before the match. Vanney has played well for Bastia, which just signed him to a long-term contract, and Arena wants another look at him before making his final roster decisions.

The match is equally important for Hedjuk, as well as the San Jose Earthquake’s Richard Mulrooney, both of whom are competing with Germany-based Tony Sanneh and Steve Cherundolo for the right back position.

Cherundolo was not impressive against Germany, presumably leaving competition open for a spot, assuming Sanneh remains the first choice.

The roster is headed by the two forwards who now look to be the World Cup starters -- the MetroStars’ Clint Mathis, who scored both goals in the setback to Germany, and Columbus Crew’s Brian McBride who sat out the Germany match with a sore ankle. Also named were the Chicago Fire’s Josh Wolff and San Jose’s Landon Donovan.

Central defenders Carlos Llamosa of the New England Revolution and Pablo Mastroeni of Colorado have been called in, both hoping for a chance to impress Arena while seemingly competing for a single spot on the final roster.

Aguirre’s most interesting choice is Argentine-born midfielder Gabriel Caballero who recently became a Mexican citizen. His inclusion in the squad for a friendly against Albania earlier this month caused an enormous controversy with critics charging his inclusion is denying a place to a "real" Mexican.

Also on the roster are flamboyant goalkeeper Jorge Campos and defensive midfielder German Villa, both of who have been decidedly out-of-favor since Aguirre took over last June. Campos seems along because he is popular with the television audience, but Villa, a strong player for the national side for many years, might be getting a second chance in a spot where the Mexicans are having troubles.

Omitted have been foreign-based players such as striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Juan Francisco Palencia because the match is not being played on a date approved by world governing body FIFA for international friendlies.

Senior correspondent Robert Wagman compiled this column and can be e-mailed at bobwagman@soccertimes.com.