Dominic Foley is likely to get another opportunity to impress when the Republic of Ireland continue their US Cup programme against the host country in Boston in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Foley's arrival as a second-half replacement for Robbie Keane helped to retrieve a game in imminent danger of drifting out of Ireland's reach in the 2-2 draw with Mexico on Sunday.

Now with Keane almost certainly out because of a groin problem, the 23-year-old Corkman, only drafted into the squad at the 11th hour, is in line to start in the team for the first time.

After a season fragmented by injuries at Watford, Foley is one of the few players on tour who look comparatively fresh. And that fact alone, coupled with the composure he showed when hitting the equaliser in Chicago, should now ensure his selection.

"I can't wait to start if Robbie is out," he said. "Sitting on the bench during the first half of the Mexican game, I promised myself that if I got the nod, I'd stay calm and enjoy the experience.

"With a lot of help from Niall Quinn, who talked me through every minute of the match, I did just that. And putting the ball in the net was an unbelievable experience which certainly went a long way towards making up for the disappointments I had earlier in the season." Another factor in Ireland's revival was the athletic goalkeeping of Dean Kiely, who pulled off some precious saves when the Irish were in imminent danger of disappearing without trace. But in this instance, his performance may not have sufficed to dissuade the manager from using all three of his goalkeepers in the course of the tour.

Alan Kelly and Shay Given - providing he recovers from an arm injury - are likely to be used in the remaining games, but Kiely will have done his long-term prospects no harm with the manner in which he defied the Mexicans.

"With three 'keepers in the squad, I knew I would have just one chance to make my point," he said. "I'm not one to shout from the roof tops what Dean Kiely can or can't do - I prefer to let performances speak for themselves."

McCarthy will wait until shortly before the kick-off to name his side, but he has intimated that there will be changes.

"Of course, I still want to win our other two games, but there's no point in taking people with us if we're not going to use them. I will not be asking players carrying injuries to get involved, but I still aim to be competitive."

The manager's tactic in starting with three players - Keane, Niall Quinn and Mark Kennedy - up front and leaving two novices at this level - Matt Holland and Barry Quinn - to hold the line in central midfield, was at best questionable. And he made no attempt to duck the criticism which followed.

"I reckoned on taking the game to the Mexicans from the start, but I have to admit that playing three up front didn't work for us," he said.

"We just didn't get close enough to them and when we had the ball, we committed the unpardonable error of giving it away too easily. When we changed it around, we were a better side for it and in the end showed a lot of character to get ourselves back into the game".

Everton's Richard Dunne suffered a leg injury during an encouraging performance and is likely to make way for Phil Babb.

In addition to Keane and Dunne, Jason McAteer and Mark Kennedy are likely to miss the game through injuries, leaving McCarthy with serious problems on the right side of midfield.

If Stephen McPhail proves his fitness, he will start in midfield and dire necessity may again force Niall Quinn, almost out on his feet by the end of Sunday's game, back into action.

The Americans are unlikely to risk either Cobi Jones or Brian McBride, both of whom were having touchline treatment for ankle injuries when they completed their 4-0 win over South Africa on Sunday.

Ireland will still, of course, have to legislate for the sophisticated midfield skills of Reyna, who plays his club football in Scotland with Rangers, and in that, there is the makings of another difficult night.

SUNDAY NIGHT'S TEAMS

REPUBLIC of IRELAND: D Kiely (Charlton Athletic ), S Carr (Tottenham Hotspur ), G Breen (Coventry City), R Dunne (Everton), T Phelan (Fulham), J McAteer (Blackburn Rovers), B Quinn (Coventry City), M Holland (Ipswich Town): R Keane (Coventry City), N Quinn (Sunderland), M Kennedy (Manchester City). Subs: K Kilbane (Sunderland) for B Quinn 40 mins, D Foley (Wolverhampton Wanderers) for Keane 45 mins, P Babb (Liverpool) for Dunne 81 mins.

MEXICO: S Bernal, I Lopez, R Alpizar, J Beltran, C Ramirez, L Perez, A Sancho, G Torrado, D Osorno, H Sanchez, L Gonzalez. Subs: G Jimenez for Sancho 68 mins, Galindo for Sanchez 80 mins.

Referee: K Stott (US).