ESPN Soccer

The U.S. match against Mexico at Azteca Stadium has all the makings of a rout.

Mexico brings a star-studded lineup, while most of the first-choice Americans remain in Europe with their clubs for this hair-pulling FIFA fixture date. There are also 7,000 merciless feet of altitude and 200,000 stomping feet of El Tri fans to contend with.

The good news? Several young players who've worked themselves from the fringes of the U.S. player pool onto this friendly roster have a chance to prove themselves, or at least survive the journey into Azteca's unfriendly confines. Playing time or not, rout or not, they'll be richer for the experience.

Geoff Cameron: The air in Mexico City is thin, but that's not the only reason for Cameron to experience shortness of breath. The newly minted Stoke City player has the most to lose from this call-up. Likely stationed next to the nearly as inexperienced Michael Orozco Fiscal in the middle of the Yanks' back line, Cameron will face assaults from one of the top scorers in the world in Chicharito, who has the ability to humiliate even the most proven defenders. Then he has to get back on a plane for a likely role in his new club's EPL opener at Reading. Frying pan, meet fire.

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