United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann laughed off criticism by former star Landon Donovan on Friday as he geared up for a crucial Confederations Cup playoff duel with arch-rivals Mexico.

Klinsmann faces one of the biggest tests of his four-year reign at the helm of USA team on Saturday when his side faces Mexico in a game which will decide CONCACAF's representative in the 2017 Confederations Cup.

The high-stakes encounter at the Pasadena Rose Bowl follows a bitterly disappointing semi-final exit on home soil in July, a tournament won by Mexico.

The US performances in the Gold Cup, and a 4-1 mauling by Brazil last month, prompted former captain Donovan to call for Klinsmann to be sacked if his lost to Mexico.

"Anywhere else in the world, if this coach had those results, and they lose this game against Mexico, they'd be fired," Donovan said earlier this week.

However Klinsmann said he welcomed Donovan's remarks and added that he was relishing the prospect of a match where "everything was on the line."

"No problem for me at all," Klinsmann said when asked for his reaction to Donovan's comments.

"If people express their feelings or get their thoughts. At the end of the day this game is there for everybody.

"We all discuss the game, we all have different opinions, and we love that part of the sport."

Klinsmann added that he welcomed the sense of pressure or expectation generated from a 93,000 sellout, with more watching on television.

"Expectations are high, thankfully," Klinsmann said. "Because it shows you the growth of the game in this country that more and more people talk about it and express their expectations.

"For me though (pressure) is exciting. Every opportunity where you can have games where there's a lot on the line it's the stuff that you are living for. For some people it may be difficult but it's totally cool with me," added Klinsmann, a veteran of Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning team.

US captain Michael Bradley, who has retained the armband given to him for the Gold Cup, said the thrill of matches against Mexico never got old.

"They're special games," said Bradley, who will win his 107th international cap on Saturday.

"I think it's always important to take a moment in weeks like this and take it all in because there will come a day when I'm not playing any more and you'll miss this," Bradley said.

"For all of us it's something we don't take lightly."