2024-10-16 18:45:04
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — The first battle between Mexico manager Javier Aguirre and new United States men’s national team boss Mauricio Pochettino ended in a 2-0 victory for El Tri on Tuesday, snapping a seven-game winless streak for Mexico against their northern rivals.
The USMNT, playing away from home and without a number of key figures (Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic were sent home early), struggled against the backdrop of a hostile crowd at the Estadio Akron. By the 22nd minute, that pressure grew significantly after Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez continued his rich vein of form to put the home side up 1-0 with a mesmerizing free kick.
Despite a couple of substitutions at halftime, the USMNT found itself in an even deeper hole shortly after the start of the second half. Thanks to a 49th-minute goal from César Huerta, which was assisted by Jiménez, the hosts doubled their lead and sent the Estadio Akron crowd into a frenzy. In response, the USMNT had little to offer.
With both coaches recently kicking off tenures with their respective national teams, the result marks a step forward for Aguirre, who now has a 2W-2D-0L record in his third spell in charge. Pochettino, on the other hand, is 1W-0D-1L in his start with the USMNT. — Cesar Hernandez
No stars, just stripes for the USMNT
Realistically speaking, this wasn’t the best USMNT that was sent to Mexico. Injured stars such as Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Giovanni Reyna and Chris Richards were all unavailable for selection.
Then, over the weekend, news emerged that Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Weston McKennie, Marlon Fossey and Zack Steffen would all return to their clubs early, missing the Mexico game. While Pulisic was dealing with load management, the other four were recovering from slight injuries.
All that said, even in Mexico, the USMNT were expected to be more competitive. Throughout the match, El Tri was asking nearly all of the questions as it amped up attacking pressure and amassed 12 shots within the first half alone. As for the USMNT, its first shot on target didn’t arrive until the 64th minute.
Barring the highly unlikely scenario that Pochettino will be able to consistently rely on a fully fit squad, Tuesday’s match showcased the work that’s needed to uplift and motivate a number of alternatives that were poor against Mexico. — Hernandez
Pep was right: Jiménez is back
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was ahead of the curve when he warned that “Raúl is back” after the recent 3-2 win over Fulham in the Premier League. His performance on Tuesday against the United States undoubtedly confirms that.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker guided Mexico toward its first win over its biggest rival in five years and gave Pochettino his first blemish as USMNT boss. In the process, he earned postmatch praise from Coach Aguirre for being a “leader” and “a very important player” for his team.
Jiménez did a bit of everything on Tuesday. Not only did he score for the first time in over a year with El Tri, but he also showed off his entire repertoire on the Estadio Akron pitch: a bicycle-kick attempt, plenty of dribbles, flair when attempting passes and a flashy assist.
It was more than enough to help Mexico defeat the United States by the most damning of scorelines within the rivalry: dos a cero. — Omar Flores
Dos a Cero strikes again
The United States continuously mocks Mexico with the “Dos a Cero” chant, referencing the various times the Stars and Stripes have triumphed over their rivals with that scoreline.
The story began in 2002, when the American team famously eliminated El Tri from the FIFA World Cup in the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory. Aguirre cited that match as one of only two times he had ever cried in football, labeling it one of his worst moments in his career as a coach.
Since that night, the United States has gone on to beat Mexico 2-0 on several occasions to keep the lore of the chant alive, but on Tuesday night in Guadalajara, Mexico flipped the script for the first time since 1997. — Lizzy Becherano
Guardado gets a hometown goodbye
Mexico’s legendary midfielder got a perfect night on which to say goodbye to international football in his hometown on Tuesday, exiting after 18 minutes in a clear ode to his preferred jersey number.
Andrés Guardado first burst onto the scene as a lanky 19-year-old in 2005, brought on by eagle-eyed Ricardo La Volpe, Mexico’s manager at the time, as a talented wide player who famously held his own in the 2006 World Cup finals against Argentina. Over the course of two decades, Guardado has turned into the Mexican embodiment of Total Football, a multifaceted player who has taken on several roles and positions during his illustrious career.
For 17 straight years, El Principito carried his country’s flag across European pitches as one of Mexican soccer’s most well-known ambassadors. A respected figure for Deportivo La Coruña, PSV Eindhoven, and Real Betis, Guardado — now with León in Liga MX — is also well-respected among Mexican fans for resisting the urge to exit Europe in favor of MLS. It was only fitting that Guardado close the book on his national career against the United States, his nation’s biggest rival and a team he helped defeat in two Gold Cup finals and the 2015 Concacaf Cup.
At 38, Guardado could very well keep going at the international level, a testament to both his evergreen talent and Mexico’s fraught present as they look to remain competitive ahead of the 2026 World Cup. — Eric Gomez
Mexico’s roadshow of stadiums working a treat
The Mexican national team returned to Guadalajara for the first time in 14 years on Tuesday. El Tri usually hosts international matches at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, rarely exploring different parts of the country. But while the iconic Azteca undergoes refurbishments ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the Mexican Football Federation sought to play the October friendlies in Puebla and Guadalajara in hopes to reconnect with the fan base. And it worked on Tuesday night.
From the opening kickoff, fans inside the Estadio Akron established a vibrant atmosphere. As the United States starting lineup echoed throughout the stadium, fans booed each passing name. But when the Mexican names rang, the cheering and chanting almost drowned out the announcer. By the initial whistle, the “Mexico, Mexico” song consumed supporters. The Mexican national team has gone through various changes since last playing in Guadalajara in September 2014, losing tournaments, failing during the 2024 Copa America and getting knocked out of multiple World Cups, yet the fans were clearly prepared to welcome the team back with open arms.
In the 22nd minute, as Jiménez’s free kick found the back of the net, the stadium exploded into a frenzy. From the criticized “silent” nights at the Estadio Azteca to Tuesday’s electric night at the Estadio Akron, it seems the fan base has not yet abandoned El Tri as many have suggested. — Becherano
Cheers (and jeers) for Mexico in Guadalajara
Pochettino and his staff were left rightfully wondering why, in the second half, there were ample boos for Mexico midfielder Alexis Vega as he entered the field of play. The crowd in Guadalajara was there for El Tri, but they definitely kept their soft spot intact for usual home team Chivas. Vega, a former Chivas player who exited the club acrimoniously, was not the only target of Estadio Akron’s ire over the course of the match.
Club América and USMNT attacker Alejandro Zendejas was targeted as he entered in the second half. The Mexican players seemed to respond in kind to Zendejas, a scuffle involving him and Tigres defender Jesús Angulo was probably the most excitement the crowd experienced during a listless latter half of the match.
The infamous anti-gay chant that has gotten Mexico in trouble over the past decade or so was also heard, though it was quickly quelled once Jiménez scored his free kick.
Jiménez, once a mainstay for América during his Liga MX days, was spared by the pro-Chivas crowd, given that he also provided Huerta with an assist for Mexico’s second.
Despite all this, the crowd was subdued compared to other editions of the Mexico vs. USA rivalry — the fact that the pro-Mexican crowd experienced El Tri‘s first victory over the United States in five years definitely helped. — Gomez
1:50
How important was Mexico’s win over the USMNT?
Futbol Americas Mauricio Pedroza believes spirit and confidence were the reasons behind Mexico’s 2-0 win over the USMNT.
Malagón jumps ahead of Ochoa as Mexico’s No. 1
Who would start in goal for Mexico was perhaps Aguirre’s best-kept secret in the lead up to Tuesday’s match. El Vasco held his cards close to his chest right up until starters were announced, and eventually Luis Ángel Malagón got the nod to start against the USMNT in favor of Guillermo Ochoa — a decision that might prove key ahead of the team’s next matches.
Ochoa was absent from the September friendlies as Aguirre had requested that every single player on his radar have a club — a prerequisite the former Sevilla man did not fulfill at that particular time. Ochoa’s absence was taken advantage of by Malagón, who won over Aguirre’s trust and received the opportunity to start against the United States, a game in which he contributed with a key save.
Aguirre had said prior to Tuesday’s match that this would be the last audition for players on the Mexican national team’s radar, as November will present El Tri with the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Honduras. Ochoa, who has since joined AVS in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, appears to have lost his starting job and must now await his turn from the bench in the beginning of the latest Aguirre era. — Flores
Early insight into how Poch’s USMNT will play
Scoreline aside, one major takeaway was what Pochettino is trying to build with his new national team.
Similar to the match against Panama, there was a clear attempt to defend in a 4-4-2 and then move forward in attack through a 3-4-3 that relied on the agile Antonee Robinson to cover an immense amount of ground on the left flank.
The attack was fluid, and yet they couldn’t break down Mexico’s backline enough. Throughout the start to the game, the USMNT were also mistiming tackles and not winning as many second goals or recovering as much as Mexico.
On the sideline, Pochettino looked quietly exasperated, trying to figure out a way to crack the code of the USMNT’s team that was missing key figures. The good news is that things did seem to improve in the second half. With some fresh faces introduced via substitutions, the passing was quicker as they made more of an effort to keep the ball more in Mexico’s half of the pitch.
It’s all still a work in progress though for Pochettino. Whether he keeps his 4-4-2 to 3-4-3 or mixes things up going forward, he’ll still need to test and tinker in the early days of his new national team role. — Hernandez
