The Mexican Federation put 16 players from Mexican club UNAM Pumas on its 22-player roster for the Nike U.S. Cup. Pumas coach and former World Cup star Hugo Sanchez will coach the squad under the supervision of Mexico head coach Manuel Lapuente. The Mexican Federation balked at sending its full squad apparently because the national team is preparing for World Cup qualifying. Mexico, which has won three straight Nike U.S. Cups dating back to 1996, opens this year’s tournament on Sunday (June 4) at Soldier Field in Chicago against Ireland at 4:30 p.m. CT. The match will air live on Telemundo and is the second of an MLS doubleheader which begins with the Chicago Fire hosting the undefeated Kansas City Wizards at 2 p.m. CT. The current 22-player Mexican roster includes (non-Pumas players listed with their clubs): Goalkeepers — Sergio Bernal, Esdras Rangel. Defenders — Gilberto Jimenez (Puebla), Oscar Mascorro (Neza), Joaquin Beltran, Christian Ramirez, Raul Alpizar, Carlos Carino. Midfielders — Israel Lopez, Gerrado Torrado, Luis Perez (Necaxa), Paulo Cesar Chavez (Guadalajara), Antonio Sancho, Gerardo Galindo, Rodrigo Barragan. Forwards — Horacio Sanchez, Luis Ignacio Gonzalez, Jesus Olalde, Daniel Osorno (Atlas), Luis Hernandez (MLS, Los Angeles), Ignacio Flores and Jaime Lozano. Mexico is expected to name additional players to the roster in the coming days. The Galaxy’s Hernandez is not expected to play in Chicago. Despite a successful 1999, in which Mexico compiled an 11-6-8 international record and three first-place finishes in international competition, the team will be facing strong public scrutiny as they arrive on in Chicago for Nike U.S. Cup. Mexico’s recent failures at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup (a quarterfinal defeat to eventual champion Canada) and Under-23 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (where they failed to qualify for Sydney after losing to Honduras in the tournament semifinals) have not gone unnoticed in the Mexican press, which has put significant pressure on the team to succeed in the United States. As with the U.S., the Mexicans will be using the games to finalize preparation for World Cup qualifying play which begins in July against Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Canada or Cuba. Nike U.S. Cup 2000, featuring the national teams of Ireland, Mexico, South Africa and the USA, kicks off on Saturday, June 3, with the U.S. men’s national team taking on South Africa at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., live on ABC at 4 p.m. ET. The four-team, six-match tournament will also see matches played at Foxboro Stadium in New England (USA-Ireland on June 6) and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (Mexico-South Africa on June 7), before concluding with a classic doubleheader on Sunday, June 11 at Giants Stadium outside New York City, featuring the U.S. battling arch-rival Mexico live on ABC at 1 p.m. ET and Ireland taking on South Africa at 3:30 p.m. ET.