GLENDALE, Ariz. – American coach Bob Bradley and Mexico’s Hugo Sanchez have a sense of urgency as they prepare for Wednesday’s exhibition matchup.

Bradley is trying to persuade U.S. Soccer Federation officials to remove “interim” from his title. Sanchez, perhaps the greatest player in his country’s history, wants to put his stamp on the national team in his international coaching debut.

“For both of us, I think it is important,” Sanchez said through an interpreter Tuesday. “It’s as important for him to win as it is for me. We’re both starting new eras.”

But that may be where the similarity ends.

Sanchez has not had to deal with questions about his future. Bradley took over from Bruce Arena and led the United States to a 3-1 win over Denmark in his first game on Jan. 20. For this game, he’s brought in four England-based players: midfielders Clint Dempsey and Bobby Convey, defender Carlos Bocanegra and goalkeeper Tim Howard.

“As a coach, you always look forward to big matches,” Bradley said. “I have not allowed this ‘interim’ thing to factor into any part of it.”

Sanchez was heralded as a savior when he replaced Ricardo La Volpe in November. By summoning five Mexicans from Europe for the match, Sanchez made it clear that he’s playing to win, although he said he’ll also use the game to evaluate his roster for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

“I’m going to be able to determine a lot out of this game,” Sanchez said.

Mexican officials are looking forward to seeing how the team will respond to the 48-year-old Sanchez. He coached Pumas from 2000-2005, winning the Mexican League title twice in a row. He took over Necaxa in September, but the club failed to make the playoffs.

“We’re very excited, not only because it is his first game, but because it is the beginning of a long journey,” Mexican national team coordinator Guillermo Cantu said. “We have our minds set up for the World Cup in South Africa (in 2010.) We must have a beginning, and this is the beginning.

“The excitement surrounding this game is important for us and for people in Mexico and Mexican people here in the U.S.,” Cantu said.

Organizers said that more than 50,000 tickets have been sold at 62,000-seat University of Phoenix Stadium, home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and the site of next year’s Super Bowl.

A heavily pro-Mexican crowd is expected. Dozens of fans, many of them wearing Mexico’s red, white and green turned out as the team practiced behind screened fences on a sun-splashed field at Arizona State University Tuesday morning.