USMNT announces October friendly vs. Mexico in Guadalajara

The U.S. men’s national team has announced it will face Mexico in a friendly on October 15 in Guadalajara.

The match will take place at the Estadio Akron, home to Liga MX power Chivas, and one of the three venues in Mexico hosting matches in the 2026 World Cup.

Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET, with the game set to be broadcast on TNT and Max.

The match looks likely to be the second in charge for Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine and U.S. Soccer reportedly reaching an agreement over a deal to take over as USMNT head coach.

The move hasn’t been announced yet, and ESPN has reported that ex-U.S. under-20 head coach Mikey Varas is set to lead the team as an interim for two September friendlies.

That would make Pochettino’s debut as USMNT head coach an October 12 friendly against Panama in Austin, Texas, which will be followed by a trip to Mexico.

USMNT on record run vs. Mexico

The game in Guadalajara will give the USMNT a chance to build on a program-record run of seven matches unbeaten against El Tri.

The two sides most recently met in March, with the USMNT easily defeating Mexico 2-0 in the Nations League final.

Though the USMNT and Mexico meet on a frequent basis, the occasion rarely happens south of the border.

Of the past 16 meetings between the USMNT and Mexico, only two have been in Mexico: World Cup qualifying matches in 2017 and in 2022, which both ended in draws. The last friendly between the two teams in Mexico was in 2013.

Each team is coming off a disappointing Copa América group-stage exit, with both sacking their managers in the wake of the summer tournament.

Mexico fired Jaime Lozano last month, and later confirmed the appointment of Javier Aguirre for a third stint as head coach.

The USMNT, meanwhile, sacked Gregg Berhalter and now appears on the verge of naming Pochettino as his successor.

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