PREVIEW: USMNT Set For Mexico Friendly Tuesday Night At Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron

CHICAGO (Oct. 14, 2024) — New head coach Mauricio Pochettino will get his first taste of the region’s most heated international rivalry in a novel setting as he leads the U.S. Men’s National Team to Guadalajara for Tuesday’s friendly against host Mexico.

Kickoff at the Estadio Akron, which is to the west of downtown Guadalajara in Zapopan, is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. Broadcast coverage of the match will be available on TNT, Max and Fútbol de Primera Radio.

Pochettino’s second game in charge will be the first friendly between the USA and El Tri in Mexico since 2012. It’ll also mark the first time the USMNT faces its archrival in Guadalajara. The contest will conclude an October international window that opened with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Panama in Austin, Texas.

Fans can also follow the Mexico match via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer App.

DETAILED USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 46/0)

DEFENDERS (7): Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 6/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 15/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 63/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 47/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 13/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 45/8), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 14/1), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 8/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 42/1), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyonnais/FRA; 3/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 15/0)

FORWARDS (4): Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 26/5), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey/MEX; 8/4), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 14/4), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 8/1)

ROSTER UPDATE

Following the win over Panama, five players were returned to their clubs. There will be no replacements called in and the USMNT will travel to Guadalajara with a roster of 20.

Those departing camp were goalkeeper Zack Steffen, defender Marlon Fossey, midfielder Weston McKennie, and forwards Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic. Pulisic started against Panama and assisted on Yunus Musah’s game-winning goal. He has been sent back to AC Milan for load management.

Pepi, who came on against Panama as a second-half sub and tallied the USA’s insurance goal, has a minor injury and is heading back to PSV Eindhoven for continued evaluation and treatment. Steffen, Fossey and McKennie, who didn’t play Saturday, also have minor injuries.

Pochettino already had made three changes to his initial 25-man roster after unveiling it on Oct. 2. The new head coach excused forwards Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah and midfielder Johnny Cardoso on Oct. 6 because of injury and called up Tanner Tessman, Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas in their place.

Tessman and Zendejas each came on in the second half on Saturday against Panama.

LAST TIME OUT

The USMNT opened the October window, and the Pochettino era, with a well-earned 2-0 shutout win over Panama on Saturday at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium.

The USA had the possession and territorial advantage in the first half but didn’t break through until four minutes into the second, when Christian Pulisic set up his AC Milan teammate, Yunus Musah, with a cross from the left. Musah’s one-time finish was the midfielder’s first USMNT goal in 42 appearances.

Matt Turner made a pair of brilliant saves in the 52nd minute to preserve what would ultimately be his 26th national team shutout. Ricardo Pepi added the exclamation point, scoring his 11th USMNT goal (and fourth in Austin) deep into stoppage time. Center back Mark McKenzie, who led the USA with five clearances and two pass interceptions, was named Michelob Ultra Man of the Match.

Pochettino became the fourth USMNT head coach in the modern era (since 1990) to win on his debut, joining Bora Milutinovic (1991), Bob Bradley (2007) and Gregg Berhalter (2019).

The USA is 4W-5L-2D in 2024.

AGAINST MEXICO

Although Mexico is the reigning Concacaf Gold Cup champion, the USA has dominated El Tri in the 2020s, going 5W-0L-2D through the past seven matches. That’s the USMNT’s longest unbeaten run in the 90-year history of the rivalry. Mexico hasn’t beaten the USA since a 2019 friendly in East Rutherford, NJ.

Those five recent wins include a World Cup qualifier in November 2021, as well as the 2021 Gold Cup final, the 2021 and 2024 Concacaf Nations League deciders and a 2023 Nations League semi. The USA also earned a draw in a World Cup qualifier at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca in March 2022. The U.S. has outscored El Tri, 12-3, during the seven-game unbeaten run.

The most recent match between the sides was the 2024 Nations League final on March 24 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna scored in the USA’s 2-0 victory.

The most recent friendly was the Allstate Continental Clásico on April 19, 2023 in Glendale, Ariz., where the rivals battled to a 1-1 draw. Jesús Ferreira notched the 81st-minute equalizer for the U.S.

In the most recent FIFA ranking, Mexico is 17th and the USA is 18th.

THE NEW REGIME

Following his September hiring and Saturday’s victorious debut, head coach Mauricio Pochettino will manage the USMNT for the second time on Tuesday in Guadalajara. Pochettino, 52, has earned worldwide renown for his work at top-tier clubs in Spain, France and England (most recently Chelsea), but this month represents the Argentine’s first foray into national team coaching. His last match as a head coach before signing with U.S. Soccer was Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth on May 19, 2024. The Blues concluded their 2023-24 Premier League campaign with five consecutive victories and a sixth-place finish. Pochettino and the club parted ways two days later.

Among the highlights of Pochettino’s managerial career: His first head coaching job was at Espanyol, where in January 2009 he was named his former club’s third coach of the 2008-09 season. In mid-February, Espanyol was at the bottom of La Liga. But they surged to 10th, and that run included a 2-1 win over Barcelona’s legendary sextuple-winning side at the Camp Nou. In his one season at Southampton, 2013-14, Pochettino guided the Saints to eighth in the Premier League, their highest finish since an eighth-place showing in 2002-03.

At Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino took the Londoners to second in the Premier League in 2016-17—their best performance since 1963—and their first and only UEFA Champions League final in 2019. He then won the Coupe de France (2021) and Ligue 1 (2021-22) at Paris Saint-Germain before moving on to Chelsea.

Before this month, Pochettino’s international experience had come as a defender for his native Argentina in 1999-2002, when he earned 20 caps, scored two goals and appeared at the 1999 Copa América and 2002 World Cup. He also played the full 90 minutes in June 1999 friendlies against Mexico (a 2-2 draw) and the USA (a 1-0 loss in Washington, DC on a goal by Joe-Max Moore.)

U.S. Soccer and Pochettino announced the appointment of his staff on Oct. 7. Long-time colleague Jesús Pérez, a Spaniard who worked with Pochettino at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, is the USMNT’s first assistant coach. Miguel “Miki” D’Agostino, a former teammate of Pochettino at Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys, also has worked with him at each European stop and will continue to do so as an assistant with the USA. Before joining forces with Pochettino in 2009, D’Agostino coached in France for Stade Brestois and in the United Arab Emirates for Dubai CSC.

Antonio “Toni” Jiménez, who enjoyed a long playing career in La Liga and won a gold medal for his native Spain at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has been working with Pochettino since 2011 and is the USMNT’s new goalkeeper coach. Silvia Tuya Viñasis, the strength and conditioning coach, is a new addition to Pochettino’s staff. She holds a PhD in sports science and most recently worked with FC Levante Badalona in Spain’s Liga F. Finally, Pochettino’s son, Sebastiano Pochettino, will serve as a USMNT sports scientist after working with his father at Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea.

POCHETTINO’S RIVALRY RECORD

Pochettino has coached in several noteworthy European rivalries, like the DerbiBarceloní between his Espanyol and powerhouse Barcelona, and Le Classique between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille. But the new U.S. manager’s most relevant rivalry experience would’ve come in the North London Derby, the grudge match between Tottenham and Arsenal which, as a showdown between neighboring powers competing on relatively equal footing, more closely resembles USA-Mexico.

In his 13 games against Arsenal, Pochettino managed Tottenham to a 4W-3L-6D record (3W-2L-6D in the Premier League and 1W-1L-0D in the EFL Cup). While neither side lost a league game to its rival on home ground, they each won on enemy turf in EFL Cup play. During Pochettino’s five full seasons in charge, Spurs finished above Arsenal in the Premier League table three times (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19), breaking a streak of 22 years in which the Gunners came out ahead.

For the record, Pochettino and Espanyol went 1W-4L-2D against Barcelona. He led PSG to a 3W-0L-1D record against Marseille, including the January 2021 Trophée des Champions (the French super cup) triumph that represented his first managerial title. Pochettino never coached against rival Portsmouth while at Southampton.

ROSTER NOTES

• The 20 players come from clubs in nine different countries: England (6), Italy (3), USA (3), France (2), Mexico (2), Netherlands (1), Germany (1), Scotland (1), Wales (1).
• Tim Ream (63) is the leading cap winner, followed by Antonee Robinson (47), Matt Turner (46) and Brenden Aaronson (45). There are no uncapped players.
• The departure of Pulisic, McKennie and Pepi leaves the squad without a double-digit goal scorer. Brenden Aaronson now is the leading scorer on the roster with eight. His most recent USMNT goal came in the Sept. 12, 2023 friendly against Oman, a 2-0 win at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn.
• Matt Turner won his 27th game in just 46 USMNT appearances on Saturday, climbing into a fifth-place tie with Brad Friedel (27 wins in 82 games) on the goalkeeper career wins chart. Brad Guzan is in fourth place with 32 wins in 64 appearances. The 2-0 shutout of Panama also was Turner’s 26th USMNT clean sheet. That ranks fourth all-time, six behind Tony Meola.
• Midfielder Yunus Musah played 84 minutes against Panama and has now played 3,020 minutes in 42 career appearances for the USMNT. He joins Landon Donovan (3,661) as the only players to reach 3,000 USMNT minutes before turning 22 (Musah’s birthday is Nov. 29). Musah’s goal against Panama was his first for the national team and first of any kind since scoring for Valencia in January 2022.
• Tim Ream captained the side for the 11th time on Saturday in Austin. He also became the 10th USMNT field player to earn a cap after his 37th birthday, and the first to do it since Preki Radosavljevic on Sept. 5, 2001 at Costa Rica. Ream has played every minute for eight consecutive games since debuting with Charlotte FC on Aug. 24.
• Mark McKenzie on Saturday earned Michelob Ultra Man of the Match honors in what was just his second USMNT appearance of 2024. His first was in the friendly draw against New Zealand on Sept. 10. McKenzie joined Toulouse from Belgium’s KRC Genk in August and has adapted quickly to one of Europe’s “Big Five” leagues, starting five of seven Ligue 1 games. Toulouse is in 16th place in France’s top tier.
• Malik Tillman has four goals and two assists in 11 appearances for PSV Eindhoven this season. He scored twice in a 3-1 win over Fortuna Sittard on Sept. 22. Tillman was involved in the build-up to PSV teammate Ricardo Pepi’s goal against Panama on Saturday.
• Josh Sargent arrived in camp from Norwich City on a two-game goal scoring streak, having found the net against Leeds on Oct. 1 and then Hull City four days later. He also had two assists in a 3-2 defeat of Derby County on Sept. 28. Sargent has four goals and three helpers this season and Norwich is in seventh place in the EFL Championship.
• Haji Wright tallied his third goal of Coventry City’s season in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Oct. 1. He also had the assist on Ricardo Pepi’s stoppage-time goal against Panama on Saturday.
• Named Fulham’s player of the season for 2023-24, defender Antonee Robinson has played every minute of the Cottagers’ seven Premier League matches in the new campaign (that’s 630 minutes). He had assists against Leicester City on Aug. 24 and Ipswich Town on Aug. 31.
• Aidan Morris has made an immediate impact at Middlesbrough since transferring this summer. A two-time MLS Cup champion with the Columbus Crew, Morris has started eight of his new club’s nine EFL Championship matches in center midfield since arriving in August. Middlesbrough is in ninth place.
• Midfielder Gianluca Busio is back in camp for the first time since the summer of 2023, and Saturday’s start against Panama was his first cap since he played four times at the most recent Gold Cup. Busio was a key component of the U.S. Olympic side that reached the quarterfinals this summer in France, and he's started the past four Serie A matches for Venezia, which has returned to Italy’s top tier.
• Nine players are age 23 or younger: Brenden Aaronson, Patrick Schulte, Tanner Tessmann (23); Gianluca Busio, Aidan Morris, Kristoffer Lund, Malik Tillman (22); Yunus Musah, Joe Scally (21).
• Twelve players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with eight coming from MLS academies: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Ethan Horvath (Real Colorado), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts), Josh Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Joe Scally (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Saint Louis FC), Tanner Tessman (FC Dallas), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union), Haji Wright (LA Galaxy) and Alex Zendejas (FC Dallas).

USA-MEXICO NOTES

The USMNT is 1W-23L-4D all-time against El Tri in Mexico, but 1W-0L-3D in its past four visits.

On Aug. 15, 2012, the U.S. visited the Estadio Azteca for a rare south-of-the-border friendly and walked out with an historic victory—a 1-0 shutout courtesy of an 80th-minute goal by reserve defender Michael Orozco.

Since then, the Americans are unbeaten in Mexico, earning three consecutive draws in subsequent World Cup qualifiers at the Azteca. Matches in 2013 and 2022 ended 0-0, and the 2017 qualifier finished 1-1 thanks to a memorable long-range goal by Michael Bradley.

The departure of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi leaves center back Miles Robinson as the only member of the current squad to have scored a goal against Mexico. It was a huge one - the 117th-minute game-winner in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup final at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev. The USA won its seventh regional championship that night with a 1-0 overtime triumph.

Three members of the current roster played during the last visit to Mexico, the 0-0 World Cup qualifier at Azteca on March 24, 2022: Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson and Miles Robinson. All three started and played the full 90 minutes.

Seven men on the current roster played in the most recent game against Mexico, the 2-0 win in the 2024 Concacaf Nations League final on March 24 in Arlington, Texas: Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Matt Turner and Haji Wright.

The USMNT has never played Mexico in Guadalajara, but it did play four games at the city’s Estadio Jalisco during the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. The Americans defeated New Zealand, lost to Brazil and then upset Germany, 2-0—all at the Jalisco—to advance to the semis. They then lost to Mexico on a golden goal at the Azteca. The U.S. returned to Guadalajara and defeated Saudi Arabia, 2-0, to win bronze.

MEXICO OF LATE

Like the USA, Mexico is already entered into the 2026 World Cup as a co-host. And like the USA, Mexico saw its Copa América run end early. El Tri went 1W-1L-1D at this summer’s Copa, scoring just one goal and finishing third in Group B. They were eliminated on goal differential (Mexico 0, Ecuador +1). Coach Jaime Lozano was dismissed a couple weeks after the tournament.

Coach Javier Aguirre was rehired in late July and managed Mexico through a September window that featured the same opposition as the USA: New Zealand and Canada. Mexico beat the Kiwis, 3-0, on Sept. 7 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., with goals by Orbelín Pineda, César Huerta and Luis Romo. On Sept. 10, Mexico drew Canada, 0-0, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Mexico is 4W-4L-2D in 2024. Each of those games was played in the U.S.

On Saturday in Puebla, Mexico played to a 2-2 draw with Spanish club Valencia in an unofficial exhibition. Toluca’s Alexis Vega lifted El Tri into the lead with an eighth-minute free kick. Tigres winger Ozziel Herrera doubled the advantage with a curling, long-range effort in the 33rd. But Valencia’s Dani Gómez pulled one back with a shot from just beyond the penalty area a few minutes before halftime, and then leveled the score in the 62nd.

Tuesday’s match against the USMNT is Mexico’s first home international since November 2023 (a Nations League quarterfinal against Honduras), and its first official friendly on home soil in more than a year. El Tri beat Guatemala, 2-0, on June 7, 2023 in Mazatlán.

Aguirre’s 27-man roster includes seven men with three caps or fewer, including uncapped, 19-year-old Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas, an Anchorage, Alaska native who represented both nations at the U-23 level.

Mexico’s injury list includes PSV Eindhoven (and future San Diego FC) winger Hirving Lozano, Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez, Club América forward Henry Martín and Dynamo Moscow midfielder Luis Chávez.

BACK AT THE HELM

Veteran manager Javier Aguirre is back for his third stint on the El Tri bench, having previously coached his homeland in 2001-02 and 2009-10. Aguirre, 65, was rehired on July 22, 2024, replacing Jaime Lozano.

In 61 official matches as Mexico’s head coach, Aguirre is 37W-13L-11D. He was in charge when the USA earned its famous dos-a-cero, Roundof16 win at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, and then again when El Tri fell to Argentina at the same stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He also took El Tri to the 2001 Copa América final, where they lost to host Colombia, and beat the U.S. in the 2009 Gold Cup title game.

Among Aguirre’s club jobs was an 18-month stay at Espanyol, where he succeeded Pochettino, of all people, in November 2012. A long-time player at the Barcelona outfit, Pochettino departed after a slow start to the 2012-13 La Liga campaign. Aguirre lifted Espanyol from 20th place to 13th by the end of that season and then staved off relegation by three points in 2013-14, at which point he left the club.

Aguirre’s most recent appointment prior to Mexico was at Mallorca, where he spent two-plus seasons. The islanders finished 15h in La Liga in 2023-24 and reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since 2003, falling to Athletic Bilbao on penalties.

DETAILED MEXICO ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Luis Malagón (Club América; 5/0), Guillermo Ochoa (AVS Futebol/POR; 150/0), Raúl Rangel (Chivas de Guadalajara; 2/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Edson Álvarez (West Ham United/ENG; 79/5), Jesús Angulo (Tigres UANL; 16/0), Bryan González (Pachuca; 2/0), Rodrigo Huescas (FC Copenhagen/DEN; 1/0), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS; 48/1), Jesús Orozco (Chivas de Guadalajara; 3/0), Jorge Sánchez (Cruz Azul; 44/1), Johan Vásquez (Genoa/ITA; 28/1)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Sebastián Córdova (Tigres UANL; 18/3), Andrés Guardado (León; 179/28), Érik Lira (Cruz Azul; 5/0), Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens/GRE; 75/11), Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul; 54/0), Luis Romo (Cruz Azul; 51/4), Marcel Ruiz (Toluca; 1/0), Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders/USA; 0/0)

FORWARDS (8): Roberto Alvarado (Chivas de Guadalajara; 47/5), Germán Berterame (Monterrey; 0/0), Ozziel Herrera (Tigres UANL; 7/0), César Huerta (Pumas UNAM; 12/2), Raúl Jiménez (Fulham/ENG; 104/33), Diego Lainez (Tigres UANL; 28/3),Guillermo Martínez (Pumas UNAM; 6/2), Alexis Vega (Toluca; 31/6)