A 2-0 loss to Mexico on Tuesday night served as a reminder of how much work lies in front of the U.S. men’s national team and new coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino was handed his first loss in charge of the U.S., and it wasn’t pretty. Mexico controlled much of the game and the U.S. was toothless in the attack. The Americans generated no shots on goal in the first half, while Mexico looked far more energetic and dangerous in front of a sold-out crowd at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.
The result snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak for the U.S. The loss also ended a four-game unbeaten streak for the Americans on Mexican soil — they were 1-0-3 in the previous four matchups in Mexico.
Raúl Jiménez lifted Mexico to an early lead in the 22nd minute with a free kick that found the upper corner. César Huerta doubled the advantage in the 50th minute when Jiménez slid the ball away from his former Fulham teammate, U.S. center back Tim Ream, atop the U.S. box and found Huerta for an easy finish from close range.
A win at home over Panama a few days ago provided a touch of optimism to the start of the Pochettino era. But even with many key players missing in Mexico, Tuesday night’s result was a reminder that this is still the team eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America. A coaching hire isn’t a miracle cure. There is plenty of work still to do — and depth that needs to be identified and developed.
Final. pic.twitter.com/AFfYgMgr2X
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) October 16, 2024
What changes did we see in USMNT?
Mark McKenzie was a late scratch from the starting lineup due to a groin injury, with Miles Robinson stepping into the XI during warmups. Robinson, 27, was a part of the Copa America roster but did not play. He started for the U.S. Olympic team as an overage player this summer.
Robinson was involved in the lead-up to the first goal from Mexico when he got the ball under pressure deep in the USMNT’s defensive third and opted to clear the ball into the middle of the field rather than try to play back to Matt Turner. Mexico won the header on his clearance and countered, then drew a foul in a dangerous spot and Jiménez buried the free kick for the 1-0 lead.
Robinson replacing McKenzie was only the second change for Pochettino in his starting group, albeit unplanned. Otherwise, it was the same lineup from the win over Panama, with Malik Tillman replacing Christian Pulisic, who left camp early to return to AC Milan.
Pulisic was one of five players who departed camp early, some due to injury and others to manage minutes. That group included Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Marlon Fossey and Zack Steffen. Their absences — along with other regulars who were either not called in due to injury or who dropped out due to injury — opened opportunities for other players to make an impression, Pochettino said this week.
“It’s really important for the (other) players because I think they are going to have the possibility to play, to show their quality,” Pochettino said in his matchday-1 news conference Monday. “For us, it’s another game to learn, to learn as a group, (as) an individual player … we need this type of game to feel the adversity, to feel that we are going to compete, not only with the team that is in front (of us), but with the atmosphere that we need to manage, and that is going to increase our experience.”
Many of those chances didn’t come until the second half, and maybe they should have come sooner. The U.S. looked slow and sloppy in the first half and Mexico seized control of the game and held it for nearly the entire first 45 minutes. The U.S. had no shots in the first half for the first time in 25 games, going back to an April 2023 friendly against Mexico, per TruMedia.
Which players made an impression — good or bad?
Does Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez count? Because if so, he was feeling himself in the first half.
For the U.S., though, there wasn’t much to like. It would probably be unfair to single out any one player because no one stood apart from the rest in an overall poor performance. It lacked presence and control of the midfield, both in the team’s inability to seize the game on the ball and to defend effectively when they didn’t have it.
At halftime, Pochettino made two changes looking for a spark: Alejandro Zendejas entered for Yunus Musah and Kristoffer Lund for Antonee Robinson. After the hour mark, three more subs came into the game: Tanner Tessmann, Haji Wright and Brandon Vazquez. Auston Trusty was the U.S.’s final sub in the 83rd minute.
With both teams making several changes, the pace of the game slowed and the U.S. was able to get on the ball more often, but Mexico stayed compact defensively and didn’t allow anything too threatening to develop. Vazquez may have made the most positive impression. He gave the U.S. its first and only shot on target in the 79th minute.
The biggest impression of this game: The U.S. got real value from playing a rival on the road. Far too many of the U.S.’s friendlies have been played at home or in neutral sites. The U.S. got a real lesson in front of a hostile crowd with a referee who often swallowed his whistle. It was a refreshing change for this team, and even if the result wasn’t good, the game in Guadalajara provided an important experience.
What’s next for the USMNT?
The U.S. will play in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals in November.
After Costa Rica and Suriname grabbed wins Tuesday evening, it set the field of eight: Mexico, Canada, U.S., Panama, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and Honduras. CONCACAF will release its updated rankings in the coming days to determine the matchups for the game.
If the rankings don’t change — the U.S. sits third behind Mexico and Canada, and a loss to Mexico won’t boost its score — the U.S. will face Jamaica in the quarterfinals. The other matchups will be Mexico-Honduras, Canada-Suriname and Panama-Costa Rica.
The U.S. will play the second leg of that two-leg tie in St. Louis on November 18.
Required reading
(Photo: Manuel Velasquez Figueroa / USSF / Getty Images for USSF)
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