Young USMNT ready for 'hostile' crowd vs. Mexico

HOUSTON -- U.S. men's national team defender Walker Zimmerman said that Wednesday's Gold Cup semifinal win against Guatemala was a "good taste" of what it's like to play in a hostile environment for this young U.S. side, but that "it's not going to be close" to what it can expect in the final.

The U.S. is set to square off against Mexico on Sunday, marking the eighth time these two teams have met in the Gold Cup final. Mexico, which has won five of the previous seven encounters, is aiming for its 10th title while the U.S. will be vying to hoist the Gold Cup for the eighth time.

History has shown that the U.S. can expect the crowd to be vociferous in its support of El Tri.

The U.S. prevailed over Guatemala in the semifinal, in front of what was a very pro-Guatemala crowd in St. Louis. It was jarring to some young members of the squad, so much so that captain Tim Ream had to remind his players that "This is what it is. You have to embrace it."

Zimmerman, a veteran of these kinds of matches whose 46 caps are fifth-most in the squad, says the U.S. should expect more of the same. Much more.

"I think it was perfect for those guys to kind of get their feet wet with Guatemala and the energy that was in the stadium with, yeah, you're at home, but it felt like a little bit hostile at times with the crowd," Zimmerman told reporters Friday.

He added: "It's not going to be close to what we're going to hear on Sunday, but I think that was a perfect little preparation for just the energy and environment and the pressure that you'll feel as the stadiums get louder and louder and a little bit more hostile."

It's common for Mexico fans to outnumber their U.S. counterparts by a ratio of 4-to-1 in these matches. But 20-year-old U.S. defender Alex Freeman, who has started all five U.S. matches so far in the tournament, feels he is ready, thanks to his experience in the semifinal.

"It was kind of new for me," Freeman said about the atmosphere at the semifinal. "Obviously this is my first tournament with the men's national team. I feel like this atmosphere ... can build character.

"I feel like that's something that I want to do is build my character and show not only the teammates and the coaches but the fans also that this team is built for moments like that."

Zimmerman said the veterans in this U.S. squad have been doing what they can to prepare the younger players for what's ahead, including the trash talk and gamesmanship that comes with matches against a rival like Mexico, even though there are limits to how much it will help.

"A lot of these guys, it is their first time playing [against] Mexico. It's going to be a learning experience," he said. "It's going to be something that is going to feel a little bit more intense than what they've been around in the past. That's something that we, as guys who have played before, have to prepare them in these training sessions, have to prepare them for the game.

"And again, it's not to psych them out. It's to make sure that they're prepared and focused and know that they have the belief of everyone on the staff, on the team that, 'Hey, you're here for a reason. You can win this game. You've done a great job [in this] tournament. Let's go finish the job.' So that's kind of the mentality we have right now."

Freeman said he's taking in all of the advice in the hope of being as prepared as possible.

"They're just getting us prepared, knowing that it might not be the prettiest game, but just to be able to go the attitude that you want to win," he said. "I feel like that's what they emphasize so much, is just being able to go and have the attitude that we need to win this game. We need to get the trophy to bring it back for the U.S."