By Rafael

Mexico play their third friendly of a busy international calendar year on Wednesday as they face the USMNT at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Here are five questions to ask ahead of another CONCACAF rivals showdown.

1) Will Erick “Cubo” Torres haunt his future MLS colleagues?

Even today, some still question Erick “Cubo” Torres transfer from Chivas Guadalajara to Houston Dynamo of the MLS. Cubo signed a five-year deal with the Dynamo and was immediately loaned out to Chivas for six months. While he is struggling to find minutes with the Rebaño Sagrado, Cubo was showing huge potential for Chivas USA.

Wednesday’s game will be a huge opportunity for Cubo to make his mark against individuals he is likely going to face when he finally moves to Houston. Moreover, Cubo can cause defenders plenty of problems with his movement and poacher-like ability. It would be fitting if Cubo gets on the score-sheet in the state he will soon call home .

2) What Michael Bradley will show up?

Michael Bradley showed flashes that he can be an excellent asset for the USMNT in his last game against Mexico. He won plenty of admirers south of the border with his performance, but the trouble is his midfield role sometimes varies to fit Jürgen Klinsmann’s liking.

Ideally, USMNT fans would like to see Bradley play like he did against Mexico last year, but it really all comes down to who is going to play around him in the midfield. He is no stranger to playing a more holding midfield role, and regardless of where he plays, Miguel Herrera should be understandably cautious.

3) Where will Mexico’s midfield attacking talent come from?

It seemed odd that Mexico manager Miguel Herrera selected only one true attack-minded midfielder in his call-up for the match on Wednesday. Unfortunately, that one player, Jürgen Damm, will now miss the game with salmonella.

In the midfield, Mexico have Luis Montes, Antonio Rios, Mario Osuna, and Carlos Esquivel, who are not exactly box-to-box attacking options. Luis Montes, who missed the World Cup with a broken leg, will be making his return with the national team. Montes seems like the most obvious choice in the creativity department, but one wonders where all the verticality will come from.

Of course, Herrera also selected an array of attacking wing-backs, and like the game against Paraguay showed, a defensive minded midfield is good at holding things steady. Still, it will be interesting to see what variations will be made for Wednesday’s match.

4) Will Miguel Herrera unleash Carlos Salcedo?

Miguel Herrera has been careful about including youth internationals too soon into the senior national team frame. For this game, Herrera made an exception in Chivas defender Carlos Salcedo. Salcedo has been exceptional since arriving to Chivas and has been one of the top defenders in the 2015 Liga MX Clausura.

It is undoubtedly a risk for Herrera to give the 21-year-old his first start in such an occasion, and Salcedo is sure to be a couple places down the pecking order. However, Salcedo remains as a player with tremendous potential, and if only for the first 60 minutes, Salcedo’s appearance could be a valuable experience for the youngster.

5) How big is Wednesday’s game?

Both manager’s job is to win the 2015 Gold Cup, and in the case of Miguel Herrera, do well in the Copa America. Wednesday’s game comes outside of FIFA’s official international dates, and both teams will be without of the majority of their key players. On paper at least, Mexico’s roster isn’t particularly fearsome. On the other hand, Jürgen Klinsmann may not want to reveal too much in the final months ahead of the Gold Cup.

Nonetheless, there is always a lot riding between historically the two best teams in the region. The Alamodome in San Antonio is expected to host a full crowd, and once the initial whistle goes off, both teams will want to win it.