Mexico vs. USA: Americans with Something to Prove in Friendly

With an eye toward the 2014 World Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann is taking a roster full of unproven players with him as the USA will travel to take on Mexico in a friendly on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. 

He obviously wants to get some youngsters some valuable experience in a hostile environment and have it come in a friendly match. This certainly isn't the best way to bring an immediate end to the U.S. team's winless streak in Mexico, but it is a good way to strengthen the team as a whole. 

It also also a great opportunity for some fringe players to increase their roles. We will take a look at a few of those, but first, check out the roster, as reported by the Associated Press (h/t Sports Illustrated).

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Sean Johnson, Nick Rimando

Defenders: Matt Besler, Steven Beitashour, Geoff Cameron, Edgar Castillo, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Fabian Johnson

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Joe Corona, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Jose Torres, Brek Shea, Danny Williams, Graham Zusi

Forwards: Terrence Boyd, Landon Donovan, Herculez Gomez, Alan Gordon, Chris Wondolowski

Brek Shea

It's been a wild year for 22-year-old Shea. He served a three-game suspension for booting a ball at an assistant ref, argued with his FC Dallas coach when he was pulled from a game and was consequently benched, his production has fallen off the map and he hasn't been on the national team since February 29. 

This is a chance for Shea to get things going on the right track. The change of scenery to the national team will likely be good for him, and it is a team that is apparently willing to help get him going. 

The Associated Press passes along this quote from Klinsmann: 

"

We think he needs our support and the feeling that we're there when things get tough. Brek has to learn to focus in and learn to become a full professional 24-7 and learn that the highest priority is what you deliver on the field and learn how to live off the field, and he's in the middle of that process. We coaches are responsible to help him in that process. We are happy to have him back and we'll have a couple good talks over a few coffees.

"

This is clearly a great chance for Shea to get things on track. Now he just needs to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Steven Beitashour

The San Jose Earthquakes' Steven Beitashour is rapidly developing into one of the league's top outside backs. 

Now he has a chance to start carving out his place with the national team. He certainly brings a nice dimension. 

Beitashour can fly, and he can get up the field in a hurry, which helps his team create on the offensive end. In fact, he leads his professional league in assists by a defender for the season.   

For a U.S. team that can make scoring a goal seem like an impossible task, this will be a welcome sight. If Beitashour can manage to roll off an assist in this match, it will go a long way towards him becoming a permanent fixture on the national team. 

Matt Besler 

Matt Besler is set to make his first appearance for the national team. The Sporting Kansas City defender has been steadily improving in the MLS, and this call up was just a matter of time. Now it is up to him to make the most of it. 

The timing certainly seems to be working out for the 25-year-old. In MLS play he recently had his first assist of the season in a match his team won by one, and he added a penalty conversion to help his team beat Seattle to take the U.S. Open Cup. 

Besler won't have to make these kinds of offensive contributions to make his presence known. Solid defensive play should be enough to do the trick.