Mexico vs. Israel: Preview

The United States took the pitch on Tuesday night for a World Cup tune-up against Azerbaijan, and tonight, their greatest foe will participate in a warm-up match of their own that is being billed as something of a tribute to legendary forward and second all-time leading scorer Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

The Details

Teams: Mexico vs. Israel

Time: 9:30 PM EST

Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Television: The match will be broadcast on ESPN2 and UniMás.

Starting XI

Mexico released the starting lineup for tonight's match on its official Twitter account Monday, and there is one glaring omission in attack.

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez will watch from the bench, at least for the opening minutes as it is expected that Blanco will be given 15-20 minutes of action before leaving to what should be a rousing ovation.

Injury Updates

Mexican manager Miguel Herrera heads into the contest without any injury concerns to deal with, but is without a host of players who were only able to join the squad in training camp over the weekend after recently completing their respective domestic seasons.

The Club Leon quartet of Rafa Marquez, Luis Montes, Carlos Pena and José Juan Vázquez - along with Espanyol defender Hector Moreno - have all been omitted from the squad for the contest.

Historic Head-to-Head

The two teams have only ever met once before, in a friendly in Tel Aviv all the way back in 1975. 

The host nation came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Moshe Schweitzer.

3 Things To Watch

Farewell to a legend

As hinted above, Mexican forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco will be honored by manager Miguel Herrera on Wednesday night in front of a boisterous home crowd, as the 41-year-old will be given the start and thus the opportunity to make his 122nd and final appearance for El Tri.

The legendary No. 10 is on a farewell tour of sorts, and it is no coincidence this is the only home match the Mexicans scheduled in the build-up to next month's World Cup in Brazil.

As such, it is difficult to see how much Herrera can legitimately gain from this contest, especially considering the aforementioned players who have not been called up for the game.

It is likely that this will resemble a celebration more so than a competitive football match - at least in the early going.

Thankfully, Mexico have three more friendlies on their schedule prior to their opening World Cup match against Cameroon (June 13th). They will travel to the United States for games against fellow tournament hopefuls Ecuador, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Portugal.

Which substitutes will push for a starting role?

With Herrera using Blanco's necessary inclusion as an opportunity to field an experimental lineup, a number of players will be given the chance to wrestle a place away from an incumbent starter - or at least leave the manager with something to ponder heading into the tournament.

The match may be more of a testimonial than a legitimate friendly, but as outlined by FOX Soccer's Kyle McCarthy, Herrera will still learn some things about his squad:

Maza Rodríguez and Carlos Salcido must prove their utility as potential defensive alternatives, while Diego Reyes must strengthen his case to start alongside Márquez and Moreno against Cameroon on June 13...

Brizuela and Fabián must state their own qualities as they attempt to climb the pecking order and force their way into consideration for more playing time. 

Javier Hernandez coming off the bench

With Herrera 'opting' for the duo of Blanco and Oribe Peralta in attack, the Manchester United man finds himself in a position that has become all too familiar from his time at Old Trafford: sitting on the bench.

Hernandez, who has scored 35 goals for his country, should be given more than enough opportunity to find his confidence in the three tune-up matches after tonight's contest.

For the sake of Mexico's chances at the tournament, he better be.

Despite enduring a difficult campaign that saw him score just four goals in 24 appearances (18 of which as a substitute) with the Red Devils this season, Hernandez remains the team's most dangerous option in attack.

Without him firing on all cylinders, Mexico will be hard-pressed to emerge from a group that includes favorites Brazil, along with Croatia and Cameroon.