Mauricio Pochettino Has a Mountain to Climb: Takeaways From Loss to Mexico

Mauricio Pochettino suffered his first loss as USMNT head coach on Tuesday in a 2–0 loss as his side was thoroughly outplayed by Mexico. A night that could've been used to build confidence instead becomes a showcase of the work cut out for the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss.

The overall performance was unacceptable for a game against its fiercest rival, albeit a friendly. There's a noticeable gap between starters and those pushing for more first team minutes, and bad tendencies from the Gregg Berhalter era still remain. It's still extremely early into Pochettino's tenure, so overreactions might be unwarranted, but certain areas need to be addressed moving forward.

Here are three takeaways from the international friendly.

An Unacceptable Performance

It's the first loss to Mexico for the USA since 2019.

It was a disappointing night for the USMNT especially in the second half. USA was outshot 17 to five on the night (five to one on target). On top of that, the USMNT only had 41% possession through the first 45 minutes. It took 78 minutes for the USMNT's first and only shot on target.

After Raúl Jiménez's free kick goal in the 22nd minute, the USMNT couldn't get anything substantial going in the first half.

Straight out of the tunnel for the second half, a lapse in judgement from Tim Ream resulted in a second goal after Jiménez tackled the ball off him giving Cesar Huerta a golden opportunity which he converted. Jiménez and Mexico wanted it more tonight and it showed. Alejandro Zendejas, a second half substitute, looked like the only player that understood it was USA vs. Mexico.

This team wasn't expected to go undefeated, it's not expected to win every single match every time it takes the pitch. Heart, desire and a willingness to go for it should be expected and those factors weren't there tonight.

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Pochettino Must Raise the Floor

Time is ticking down and there's still a noticeable gap between starters and those fighting for places.

Josh Sargent, Brenden Aaronson and Malik Tillman couldn't conjure up a shot on target through 63 minutes. Haji Wright wasn't much better. Looking into midfield, Gianluca Busio, Aidan Morris and Tanner Tessmann couldn't get a foothold in the game.

Pulisic is the first name on the team sheet, but who in attack is going to step up and be a starter come the World Cup? Same goes for midfield.

Pochettino has to instill a culture that starts with competition for places. When there's healthy competition, not only to depth players raise their levels but it forces starters to elevate their game as well. If not, then those players looking for a chance will take it with two hands.

USA Must Become a Tough Team to Beat

Fans couldn't tolerate how easily USA could be beat under Berhalter. For most of the night, that seemed like the case once again. Part of that is learning a new system under a new coach, but there needs to be a collective sense of pride every time the team takes the pitch. This team won't score three goals every game, but it has to be difficult to break down in midfield and defense. The free kick is one thing, but Ream getting dispossessed and the lack of duels won highlight where this team needs to improve.

The team's fight and heart was called into question after getting grouped in Copa América this past summer. Pochettino has to erase those concerns and come out firing when USA reconvenes for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal on Nov. 18.