Pochettino's undermanned USMNT faces tough test in Mexico: 'We need this kind of game'

Doug McIntyre

Football journalist

It’s a testament to the global respect Mauricio Pochettino has earned over his 15-year career as a head coach that his first game as coach of the U.S. men’s national team – a debut that Pochettino won last weekend when the Americans beat Panama – was his first game : for his mere presence on the sidelines, the must-see contest of this month’s Two Friendship list.

From a purely footballing perspective, Tuesday’s trip to Mexico remains far more intriguing. Normally it would be a must-win by far, as El Tri is the USMNT’s oldest and most hated rival.

“Of course it will be special,” Pochettino said at his pre-match press conference on Monday evening. “Especially for our fans and especially for Mexican fans.”

The capacity is 50,000 seats Akron Stadium in Guadalajara is the 78th meeting of these North American neighbors in a series that began almost a century ago.

El Tri has won 36 of these matches. But the U.S. has compiled a record of 21 wins, 13 losses and 13 defeats against Mexico over the past three decades, including their only World Cup meeting: the famous 2-0 “dos a cero” victory in the round of 16 of the 2002 tournament in Korea /Japan.

Now the Americans head into Tuesday following a historic seven-game unbeaten streak against Mexico. In March, the U.S. defeated its nemesis in front of a sea of green-clad El Tri supporters in Arlington, Texas, to win the Concacaf Nations League title for the third straight year.

Defeating Mexico south of the Rio Grande, however, is another matter entirely. Only one USMNT team has ever managed to triumph in Mexico in 28 all-time attempts: Jürgen Klinsmann’s team in a 2012 appearance at the legendary Azteca Stadium, where Mexican-American defender Michael Orozco scored the storybook winner.

Like the current US squad, Mexico also has a new coach in Javier Aguirre. The 65-year-old has led his country twice – including in 2002 – and has a long history with Pochettino; Aguirre succeeded him at Spanish club Espanyol in 2012 when Pochettino moved to Southampton in the English Premier League. Given their long winning streak and change in leadership, there is little doubt that El Tri – and their fans – will be desperate to secure their first win over the visitors this decade.

“I think the atmosphere will be great,” said Pochettino. “We need this kind of game. To feel the adversity. The feeling that we will compete not only with the team that is in front of us, but also with the atmosphere that we have to deal with.”

They also have to overcome adversity before kickoff blows.

US stars Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie were among five players sent back to their clubs on Sunday because of minor injuries or for stress management reasons. This list also includes goalkeeper Zack Steffen, full-back Marlon Fossey and striker Ricardo Pepi, who scored his team’s second goal against Panama.

“It’s a bit sad because these boys who were here wanted to help and play for the team,” Pochettino said. “But at the same time, when one door is closed, another can be opened. And of course there will be the opportunity to play for other players. For us, it’s another game to learn.”

It is also the toughest test Pochettino’s USA will face until next year, regardless of the opponent the Americans face in the Nations League quarterfinals next month. Not that the Argentine spends too much time thinking about his team’s opponents.

“It’s a challenge to play against Mexico. But the most important thing is, as I told the players against Panama, that we challenge ourselves,” said Pochettino. “It improves the way we want to play, the way we have to evolve as a team in our mentality, in our attitude, in our arrogance and in the way we have to compete .”

While a second-ever victory in Mexico is the clear goal for Tuesday, the bigger picture – namely having a successful 2026 World Cup on home soil – has underpinned every decision made by Pochettino and his team during his first camp at the helm of the USMNT. They believe that improvement must come from within, game by game, regardless of who is on the other side of the field or where the game is taking place.

“For us, we are our own worst enemy,” Pochettino said. “We have to challenge ourselves to keep getting better and better.”

Doug McIntyre is a football reporter for FOX Sports. A former contributor to ESPN and Yahoo Sports, he has covered the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.