Asked about the U.S. having an unfair advantage, Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, said he did not view it that way.
"I don't think it's a very big issue, frankly," he said. "I guess it's a competitive disadvantage to have played five games that ended three days ago 10,000 miles away" in the Confederations Cup.
"We're not being given the opportunity to play with two goalkeepers in any given game. We're not going to be allowed to dress more than 18. All of those things are the same."
The U.S. opens Group B play against Grenada at Qwest Field in Seattle on Saturday; plays Honduras on Wednesday at RFK Stadium in Washington and Haiti on July 11 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The U.S. and Mexico have each won the tournament four times and, are favored to square off in the July 26 final at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
Mexico's first-round opponents in Group C are Nicaragua on Sunday in Oakland, Panama on July 9 in Houston and Guadeloupe on July 12 in Phoenix.
The tournament opens tonight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, where Canada plays Jamaica at 5 p.m. and Costa Rica plays El Salvador at 7 p.m. in Group A.
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grahame.jones@latimes.com
