Mauricio Pochettino’s first trip to Mexico as U.S. men’s national team head coach ended in disappointment as Mexico handed the USMNT a 2-0 loss in Guadalajara on Tuesday night. This defeat marked the first of the Pochettino-era, with Raul Jimenez scoring the opening goal from a well-taken free kick in the first half and Cesar Huerta adding an insurance goal for Javier Aguirre’s men four minutes into the second half.
Legendary El Tri player Andres Guardado featured for the final time on the international level, earning his 182nd cap. Jimenez broke the deadlock in the 21st minute with a right-footed free kick into the top-right corner, despite goalkeeper Matt Turner guessing correctly on his dive. Aidan Morris’ foul on Roberto Alvarado set up the free kick opportunity for Jimenez.
Huerta extended El Tri’s lead to 2-0 early in the second half after Jimenez’s challenge on Tim Ream led to a loose ball finding Huerta, who made no mistake by drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner, marking his third international goal. Despite substitutions for the USMNT, including Haji Wright, Brandon Vazquez, Tanner Tessmann, Alex Zendejas, and Kristoffer Lund, they failed to find the back of the net, with Vazquez’s near post effort in the 80th minute being punched away by Luis Malagon as their best chance of the night.
The result ended the USMNT’s seven-match unbeaten run against El Tri across all competitions. Pochettino’s team is set to return to action in November for the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, with speculation that Jamaica will be their opponent in the upcoming two-legged series.
