Mauricio Pochettino endured his first defeat as head coach of the United States, with a 2-0 loss to Mexico in a friendly on Tuesday. The US had been unbeaten in seven matches against their North American rivals, a streak stretching back to 2019, but goals from Raul Jimenez and Cesar Huerta ended their run.
Pochettino, who began his tenure with a 2-0 victory against Panama in Austin last Saturday, faced a tough test with several key players missing for his team’s first away game in nearly a year.
Notable absences included midfielder Tyler Adams, forwards Tim Weah and Folarin Balogun, as well as star winger Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who returned to their clubs. Defender Mark McKenzie also withdrew last minute, with Miles Robinson from FC Cincinnati stepping in as a replacement.
Mexico’s lineup featured 38-year-old Andres Guardado, making his final appearance for the national team with a record 182nd cap. Guardado was substituted after 18 minutes to a standing ovation from the Estadio Akron crowd. Just four minutes later, the fans were celebrating again when Raul Jimenez curled a stunning free-kick into the top corner, leaving US goalkeeper Matt Turner helpless.
Shortly after the restart, Jimenez was involved in Mexico’s second goal. US veteran defender Tim Ream initially won the ball from Jimenez in the box, but a sliding tackle from the forward saw the ball fall to Cesar Huerta, who expertly placed his shot into the corner of the net, doubling Mexico’s lead.
The United States had opportunities to get back into the game, but Kristoffer Lund’s effort at the back post went wide, and substitute Brandon Vazquez saw his low shot blocked by Mexico goalkeeper Luis Malagon.
Reflecting on the match, Pochettino admitted, “It wasn’t a great performance. But this type of game is perfect for us to learn.”
He added: “I think we started the game well (but) after we conceded the goal, I think the impact was massive for us and, of course, they started maybe to win the duels and to be a little bit better, a little bit more aggressive than us.”
He added, “Overall I think Mexico was a little bit better than us and fully deserved the victory.”
The Argentine manager, appointed last month to lead the US towards the 2026 World Cup, which the country will co-host with Mexico and Canada, remained optimistic, “For us it’s a process that we started a few days ago and today was a great opportunity for our players to visit a very difficult place to play. I think only we can improve from and learn from this experience.”