GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 3: Mauricio Pochettino, Head Coach of the United States gestures during a game between United States and Mexico at State Farm Stadium on October 3, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
ISI Photos via Getty Images
It sounds bizarre to say months removed from playing as a World Cup host, let alone to say it about a friendly that had zero true competitive stakes.
But international soccer is as much about storytelling and symbolism as results and awards. And in that context, the U.S. men’s national team’s 3-0 victory over Mexico on Saturday night in Glendale, Ariz., may have been the most important of Mauricio Pochettino’s managerial tenure.
The night started with the U.S. on the back foot, spending much of the early stages defending as El Tri held the majority of the possession. It ended with a pro-Mexico crowd jeering their own players against a USMNT whose second-half dominance was unquestioned. In the aftermath, it felt like something fundamental about Pochettino’s program had shifted.
There is always the potential to get carried away with a satisfying victory. But here are three reasons that Saturday might in fact be a pivotal moment in the Pochettino era.
Ending the Mex Hex
Pochettino entered the fixture having lost his two previous meetings against Mexico.
And while the U.S. fanbase was generally pleased with the USMNT World Cup performance in 2026 — despite an ugly loss to Belgium at the end — regularly beating the southern border rivals has become just as big of a priority in recent decades.
Another defeat would’ve restored questions over whether the Argentine respected the rivalry enough for a USMNT manager, particularly as he fielded a starting XI with an average age shy of 24 years.
The ferocity of the USMNT performance puts those questions to bed. It was only the second three-goal victory over the USMNT’s border rival since 2000, and it came arguably while Mexico was playing something closer to its best squad available.
The Next Generation
After the USMNT’s ragged 4-1 loss to Belgium, it wasn’t entirely clear who might emerge to replace the core of a squad that would mostly be in its 30s by the time the next World Cup rolled around in 2030. Saturday sure looked like the first semblance of an answer.
Philadelphia Union and soon-to-be Manchester City wunderkind Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player to score in senior USMNT history at age 17. The 18-year-old Julian Hall scored his third goal in as many appearances for the Yanks, and the 20-year-old Diego Kochen made an excellent save to keep a clean sheet in his senior international debut.
The diehards have of course been watching the respective careers of these and other young talents on this version of Pochettino’s squad for months and, in some cases, years. But for the more casual viewing public, this was their grand introduction and a reason to believe the next four years would feel fundamentally different from the previous four.
By The Numbers
Finally, on a far less metaphysical level, Mexico was literally the highest-ranked opponent in the FIFA World Rankings that Pochettino has defeated as USMNT manager.
Yes, El Tri’s current No. 10 ranking is almost certainly too high for a squad that has yet to earn a victory during the current September/October international window. And yes, the Uruguay side that Pochettino’s USMNT defeated in 2025 had more established global stars.
But even in the World Cup, the Americans never defeated an opponent ranked higher than themselves. And this was the same Mexico squad that nearly knocked off a very strong England squad that probably should’ve reached a World Cup final.
Saturday doesn’t make up for the Belgium blunder. But does prove the concept more than any match previously that Pochettino’s USMNT can win as underdogs in an adverse environment.
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