Notes: Midfielder Ben Olsen trained for the first time Monday since joining the team last week because of soreness in his ankles. Olsen said before training he may suit up if the ankles feel good, but that they caused him a lot of pain in his last match with Nottingham Forest. Forward Clint Mathis said that U.S. team doctors’ testing revealed that there is no tear in the meniscus of his left knee, as previously diagnosed. Mathis will not undergo surgery and said the knee is free of pain and he is 100 percent ready to play. Tickets will be required for entrance into the Crew Stadium parking lot as officials plan to tighten security on Wednesday. Crew Stadium general manager Mark McCullers told The Columbus Dispatch that those needing to pick up their tickets from will call should try to do so before Wednesday and those trying to do so on game day must show identification. Weather reports predict a dusting of snow Tuesday night and temperatures ranging from 23 to 34 on the night of the game. Assistant Coach Dave Sarachan: (On Mexico’s forwards) From what we have seen, [Jared] Borgetti is very good in the air. He’s not the most gifted with his feet, he’s not the quickest guy beating a player on the dribble, but he’s very aggressive in the box and he’s very dangerous on set pieces and in the air. [Francisco] Palencia brings a different dimension than Borgetti — very quick with slashing type runs that will draw fouls. Palencia is a guy we think is very talented but doesn’t start all the time. Hernandez we know, so there are three different guys. Palencia and Hernandez are more similar — guys who find seams, but Palencia has a little more quickness than outright speed. (On Mexico’s midfielders) We’re assuming that [German] Villa will be their sort of holding midfielder and that [Victor] Ruiz is the guy that plays more of an attacking role. Their strengths are not so much creativity out of the midfield, but more their ability to play wider and get service to these guys running. [Pavel] Pardo is a guy that lends a lot to their attack from the flank. He’ll either start as a right back and get forward or play as an outside midfielder. They’ve used [Chima] Ruiz, the little guy, on the other side. He has good quickness, he’s a good technical player. He’s not going to kill you with his speed but he has a good left foot. (On Mexico’s flank play) They’re good at their timing of runs and getting early crosses. They’re not the kind of team that gets to the end line and then crosses, necessarily, but they find little openings to get just past defenders and play early crosses. They’re going to be the kind of crosses that find little seams on the ground, sometimes laid back. Brad [Friedel]’s always going to have to be ready for that and our defenders, positionally need to be in spots where they can either cut out those crosses or prevent early crosses by closing them down and making them play centrally. (On what makes Mexico’s pressure effective) I’d say two things. One is confidence. They’re not afraid to pressure because they’ve done this enough with their players. The second is quickness — in their forwards and top six guys. We don’t know what their approach will be, though. (On whether a tie would be more of a disappointment than it was against Costa Rica in Columbus last round) You’ve got to keep in mind that it’s the first of 10 games. Our mindset is always: when we’re at home, we win. [If we get] one point, we’re not going to lose a whole lot of sleep, no points would be disappointing. We expect three points … games go quickly, you only have five home games. You don’t come out of the gate sprinting, but at the same time, to get three points would be fabulous. (On instructions to the team) From a psychological standpoint, it’s a home match for us and being at home, we want to be aggressive. That’s one of the key elements. Technically speaking, we’re emphasizing the things we always do: good control of the ball, possession oriented, being aggressive in the attacking third of the field. (On Mexico’s individual talent) We know that there’s going to be one play that could make a difference. How you dial in as an athlete for 90 minutes is going to be very important because in the 84th minute, one mistake could decide the game. Midfielder Claudio Reyna (On what makes Mexico difficult to beat) In general, they play well as a team — always. They’re missing some key players, but it’s important for us to realize early what kind of game plan they have. They are going to come in with a game plan. They might pressure us for 10 minutes and try to put us on our heels, steal a goal and then sit back the rest of the game. It’s important that we quickly figure out what they’re doing. We still have to be the aggressor, but they just have a lot experience. … They always play together and fight for each other. (On which Mexican player he would choose to have on his team) With no disrespect to anyone on our team, I think I would probably take [Claudio] Suarez. He rarely makes mistakes, he’s a good passer out of the back, he’s good in the air and he’s an excellent defender. Obviously the number of caps he has speaks for itself. … He really keeps that defense together and he has for quite a long while. (On winning midfield battles) You always have to play physical. One thing Mexico does well as a team is pressure and get around the ball, especially in the midfield. They always seem to have a lot of numbers around the ball. So it’s important that we move the ball quickly and try to spread them out. It’s important for Cobi and Earnie to get out wide and get the ball and be dangerous out there. We have to make sure we don’t give any sloppy passes away where they can come down and counter on us. (On playing with four midfielders versus five) I think is four is good, but a lot of times it just depends on what team [you are playing against] and what players you have. I think four across the back and four in the middle is a pretty modern way to play these days. I think it’s the easiest way, also, to defend with when you’re playing zones. It’s clear-cut. … (On generating offense with four midfielders) It’s going to be important that sometimes Joe-Max drops in there, sometimes I go forward and maybe one of the defenders pulls into the midfield. We know what we need to do defensively and it’s important if we get outnumbered in the center midfield that someone, from somewhere pulls in. A lot of times they play with two in the middle but then another defensive [midfielder] so if Chris and I are getting outnumbered, it’s important that Cobi or Earnie comes in and occasionally that a defender pushes me forward. Defender Eddie Pope: (On what sets Mexico apart from the rest of CONCACAF) They have a good league that is established and they’ve been playing soccer for a long time. (On how that translates on the field) They have a lot of guys to choose from and compared with that league, MLS is still very young. They see each other regularly. For us, fortunately, we’ve played with all the guys in Europe a lot, which helps when you come in. You know a guy’s tendencies.