Nocturnal 
The USMNT didn’t just beat Mexico on Saturday night, they made history doing it. A 3-0 win in Glendale, Arizona saw teenager Cavan Sullivan become the youngest goalscorer in American men’s national team history, as El Tri fell apart in front of a heavily pro-Mexico crowd at State Farm Stadium.
Goals from Julian Hall, Sullivan and Malik Tillman sealed a statement victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s side in the first meeting between the two CONCACAF rivals of the new World Cup cycle. It was the USMNT’s third straight win of the autumn international window, following a 4-1 victory over Peru and a 4-2 win against Chile.
Mexico, by contrast, arrived in patchy form having drawn 1-1 with both Colombia and Peru in their previous two outings. On the night, they were architects of their own downfall, with all three USMNT goals arriving directly from Mexican errors.
How the game unfolded
Julian Hall broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, pouncing on a Mexico mistake to score his third goal in just three international appearances, as reported by the Times Union. Mexico should have levelled before the break when Santiago Gimenez was left completely unmarked in front of goal, but he dragged his effort wide.
Diego Kochen kept the USMNT’s lead intact with a flying save to deny Roberto Alvarado early in the second half. Then came the moment of the night: in the 62nd minute, Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel misjudged a pass well outside his own box, and Sullivan nipped in to finish calmly, becoming the youngest player ever to score for the USMNT.
Things turned ugly for Mexico shortly after. Mateo Chavez was shown a red card in the 67th minute after slapping Sebastian Berhalter in the face, having already been penalised for a foul on Yunus Musah. The Guardian’s live coverage described it as the third “gift” handed to the USMNT by a Mexico side that “self-imploded” over the course of the match.
Malik Tillman put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute, intercepting yet another sloppy Mexican pass in their own half before firing into the top corner – a goal the broadcast famously missed while airing a highlights package, according to The Guardian.
What it means for Pochettino
The win gives Pochettino, in his second spell in charge of the USMNT, a real proof of concept for the young squad he has built after the World Cup. Hall and Sullivan were credited with aggressive off-the-ball pressing throughout, helping force the very turnovers that led to the goals, even as Mexico dominated spells of possession.
Notably absent were two of the biggest names on either side. Christian Pulisic did not feature for the USMNT, while Mexico’s highly rated young talent Gilberto Mora also missed out – though specific reasons for either absence were not confirmed in pre-match reporting.
Mexico still leads the all-time head-to-head series 38 wins to 17, with 24 draws, but this result will sting. Reports from the stadium noted chants of “Dos a Cero” could still be heard from the crowd late on – a nod to past USMNT wins over Mexico by that scoreline – even as the hosts cruised to a much bigger margin of victory on the night.
Both sides now turn their attention to the next international window as they continue building towards the 2030 World Cup cycle.
