Mexico Beat Pochettino's USA in Heated Friendly

In a fiery encounter at the Estadio Akron, Guadalajara, Mexico triumphed 2-0 over a depleted USA side in a friendly that lived up to its billing. El Tri, led by manager Javier Aguirre, fielded a fully fit squad, while the USA were without key players Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Florian Balogun. For Mauricio Pochettino, this was his second match in charge of the US team, following a 2-0 win over Panama at the weekend.

The match also marked a significant moment for Mexican football as Andrés Guardado played his final match for the national team. Guardado, who currently plays for León, made his international debut in 2005 and bows out after an illustrious career that saw him earn an incredible 181 caps for Mexico. The veteran midfielder started the match but was substituted after just 19 minutes, receiving a well-deserved standing ovation from the home crowd as he bid farewell to international football.

Just minutes after Guardado’s emotional exit, Raúl Jiménez opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick. The Fulham striker unleashed a powerful strike from distance that flew past a diving Matt Turner, continuing his impressive form with the Premier League side, where he has notched up three goals and an assist in his first seven matches of the season.

Jiménez soon went from scorer to provider after narrowly missing out on a brace, the forward delivered a perfectly weighted pass to Pumas winger César Huerta, who coolly slotted home to double Mexico’s lead. Despite their best efforts, the USA struggled to break through Mexico’s defence, with Luis Malagón standing firm in goal for El Tri.

This match was particularly significant for Mexico as they sought to avenge their recent defeats to the USA. The two sides had met earlier this year in the CONCACAF Nations League final, where the USA claimed a dominant 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna. That performance from the States raised concerns about Mexico’s growing struggles against their biggest rivals. Prior to last night’s game, El Tri had conceded six goals across their last three meetings with the USA, heightening fears that they were beginning to fall behind in the rivalry. Last night’s win, therefore, was a much-needed morale boost for Mexico, breaking their run of poor results against the US.

Not only did the victory give Mexico their first win against the USA since 2019 but also signalled a new era for the national team as they bid farewell to a legend and continue to develop under Aguirre's stewardship. For Pochettino and the USA, it’s back to the drawing board as they look to rebuild without their star players.

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