In a friendly match held in Guadalajara on Tuesday, the Mexican national soccer team beat the U.S. men’s national team 2-0. For the first time in eight contests, Mexico managed to score a victory over their head-to-head rivals. The performance of the day came from Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez, who scored a brilliant goal off a first-half free kick. Early in the second half, teammate Cesar Huerta doubled Mexico’s lead, ensuring the decisive win. This win represents Mexico’s first victory over the U.S. since 2019, ending the longest winless streak in the history of the rivalry.
The American team was hit by several setbacks, including the absence of star forward, Christian Pulisic, and other main starters. These absences contributed significantly to Mexico’s boosted confidence and dominance throughout the game. The U.S. also faced a loss for their new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, marking his first defeat since taking the helm. Pochettino had his debut victory over Panama in a game held in Austin, Texas, only three days prior.
A significant event in the game was 33-year-old Jiménez’s superb strike, a curling screamer which left U.S.’s backline teammates, including American captain Tim Ream and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, incapable of stopping it. The goal came in the wake of a contentious foul claimed by U.S. players on Mexican winger Roberto Alvarado. Despite the controversy, Jiménez’s stellar 30-yard effort made its way past U.S. keeper, Matt Turner.
Huerta’s decisive goal in the second half was the match’s turning point, effectively drawing the curtains on the game. With an all-time record in Mexico of 1W-24L-4T, and more than half of Pochettino’s strongest line-up out of the game, the U.S. faced an uphill battle right from the start. Various injuries sidelined key players like Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Sergiño Dest, Gio Reyna, and Weston McKennie. Their absence, along with Pochettino’s choice of managing Pulisic’s game load, were significant factors leading to the defeat.
Throughout the match, Mexico dominated, casting a harsh light on U.S. weaknesses clearly visible in various game statistics. The U.S. allowed Mexico to deliver 15 shots to their goal and also gave their hosts most of the ball possession throughout the game’s 90 minutes. However, the most glaring failure came from their lack of attacks on El Tri’s goal. Until the 79th minute, when U.S. striker, Brandon Vazquez, finally forced a save from Mexican keeper Luis Malagón, the U.S. had failed to mount any significant offensive efforts.
In the wake of this victory, Mexico now looks forward to their upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals games. Scheduled to take place on Nov. 14 and 18, Mexico awaits confirmation of their opponent, likely to be Honduras. The U.S., on the other hand, will be pursuing their fourth consecutive Nations League title, with Jamaica earmarked as their probable adversary. The upcoming games will represent the first round of competitive matches under Pochettino’s leadership.
