If Mauricio Pochettino did not understand the scale of the challenge facing him, he does now.
The USA head coach has been set the ambitious target of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in 2026.
Pochettino was missing a number of key stars against Mexico
He began his reign with a 2-0 victory over Panama, but the honeymoon is already over after a 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
El Tri had not beaten the Stars and Stripes for seven matches coming into Tuesday’s contest.
Raul Jimenez scored a 22nd-minute free-kick and assisted Cesar Huerta at the start of the second half.
The Fulham striker also crossed the ball with a stunning rabona and attempted an incredible bicycle kick as he showed off his full range of skills.
Pochettino was missing talisman Christian Pulisic against the World Cup co-hosts – and it showed.
The US could not muster a shot on target in the first half for the first time since a friendly against the same opponents in April 2023, which will be unwelcome reading for Pochettino, who was without key players in the form of Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah and Folarin Balogun.
By the final whistle, Mexico had 17 total shots and five on target, with Pochettino’s team only managing to trouble the goalkeeper once from five attempts.
Pochettino will make his competitive debut next month in a two-leg Concacaf Nations League quarter-final.
Depending on rankings, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras, and Suriname are the potential opponent.
Tim Ream covers his face as Mexico celebrate
“It wasn’t a great performance,” admitted Pochettino.
“But this type of game I think is perfect for us to learn.
“I think we started the game well (but) after we conceded the goal, I think the impact was massive for us and, of course, they started maybe to win the duels and to be a little bit better, a little bit more aggressive than us.
“Overall I think Mexico was a little bit better than us and fully deserved the victory.
“But for us it’s a process that we started a few days ago and today was a great opportunity for our players to visit a very difficult place to play.
“I think only we can improve from and learn from this experience.”
