USA vs. Mexico, International Friendly: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, and Match Thread

Welcome to your match thread as the United States Men’s National team takes on Mexico at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. This is the first time that the USMNT will play since the Yanks fell to Mexico in the Gold Cup final in July.

The U.S. started that match well and was the better team in the first half. The Yanks had chance after chance but were unable to find the back of the net. Then, El Tri came out of halftime on the front foot, and the U.S. had no answer. Jonathan dos Santos’ 73rd-minute strike was the lone goal of the match as Mexico went on to win 1-0.

El Tri has dominated the all-time series. Of the 72 matches played, the U.S. has won just 19 and holds a record of 19-35-15 against Mexico. However, the series is much closer in recent history. The Yanks are 11-8-6 since the turn of the century. That includes a five-match unbeaten run from 2005 to 2009. Expanding a bit farther, from 2000 to 2009, the U.S. won 10 times in 14 matches against Mexico. Yet, the Yanks have just one win the past five games. Each of those matches has been decided by only one goal though.

“We’re continuing to build on the core of this group,” said Gregg Berhalter. “The second thing is that we want to continue to make progress. We felt like the Gold Cup was a good step forward for the team, but we still need to continue to improve.”

Berhalter brought back several veteran faces in this camp. Brad Guzan and Alfredo Morales return to the national team picture for the first time under Berhalter. Gyasi Zardes comes into the camp as the most capped field player (51) – Guzan is the most capped player with 60 national team appearances.

Sergiño Dest and Paxton Pomykal were part of the youth national team picture this summer. They both served on the U-20 team that advanced to the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals. The duo joins Miles Robinson and Jesse Gonzalez as players who could make their senior national team debut.

Mexico also has veteran players that should play a part tonight. Javier Hernandez, Hirving Lozano, Hector Herrera, dos Santos, and Andrés Guardado have all been called up. The biggest name to watch for is Raúl Jiménez, who is always a threat to find the back of the net.

If the U.S. is to win, then the Yanks must press well and keep up the energy and movement. In the Gold Cup final, the USMNT did this well to start the match, and it showed as the Yanks were the better team. Then, Mexico settled the game down and took control of possession. If Mexico dominates the possession, then El Tri will win.

The biggest question for the U.S. is who will step up without Jozy Altidore? In the past few years, there has been no attacking threat when Altidore is not on the field. The 29-year-old has proven that he is the best forward for Berhalter.

Rosters

USMNT (Caps/Goals)

Goalkeepers (4): Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas; 0/0), Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 60/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 8/0), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Düsseldorf/GER; 15/0).

Defenders (9): John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER; 37/3), Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 6/0), Sergiño Dest (Ajax/NED; 0/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 7/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 11/2), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 8/0),) Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 35/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United FC; 0/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 10/2). 

Midfielders (7): Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 9/2), Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 14/3), Alfredo Morales (Fortuna Düsseldorf/GER; 13/0), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas; 0/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 15/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 19/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 1/0).

Forwards (6): Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 3/0), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas/TUR; 5/2), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 33/5), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 31/13), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 7/2), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 51/10).

Mexico

Goalkeepers (4): Rodolfo Cota (Club León; 2/0), Hugo Gonzalez (Necaxa; 2/0), Guillermo Ochoa (Club America; 107/0), Jonathan Orozco (Santos Laguna; 8/0).

Defenders (10): Néstor Araujo (Celta Vigo/ESP; 34/3), Jesús Gallardo (Monterrey; 41/0), Miguel Layún (Monterrey; 71/6), Héctor Moreno (Al-Gharafa; 101/4), César Montes (Monterrey; 9/0), Fernando Navarro (Club León; 2/1), Diego Reyes (Tigres UANL; 64/2), Luis Rodríguez (Tigres UANL; 17/1), Carlos Salcedo (Tigres UANL; 32/0), Jorge Sánchez (Club America; 2/0).

Midfielders (12): Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul; 14/2), Uriel Antuna (LA Galaxy/USA; 8/4), Edson Álvarez (Club América; 28/1), Jonathan dos Santos (LA Galaxy/USA; 46/3), Marco Fabián (Philadelphia Union; 42/9), Andrés Guardado (Real Betis/ESP; 161/28), Érick Gutiérrez (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0), Hector Herrera (Atlético Madrid/ESP; 70/5), Luis Montes (Club León; 25/5), Orbelín Pineda (Cruz Azul; 18/1), Rodolfo Pizarro (Monterrey; 22/4), Carlos Rodriguez (Monterrey; 8/0).

Forwards (5): Jesús Manuel Corona (Porto/POR; 40/7), Javier Hernández (Sevilla FC/ESP; 108/51), Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG; 78/22), Hirving Lozano (Napoli/ITA; 35/9), Alexis Vega (Guadalajara; 5/1).

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m. ET.

Venue: MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ.

TV: FOX Sports 1, Univision, TUDN.

Streaming: FOX Sports GO, Univision NOW, TUDN En Vivo.

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @USMNT and @TheManeLand. Also, be sure to follow @StarsAndStripesFC.

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Enjoy the match! Go America!