Some of the seasoned players on the US Men’s National Team know what to expect when they face Mexico on Saturday, but for many of the young talents, it will be their first time.
The USMNT-Mexico rivalry resumes on Saturday when the two CONCACAF nations play a friendly at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It will be the first meeting between the two rivals since the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, when El Tri won 2-1 to extend their current unbeaten streak over the Americans to two matches.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are unbeaten in this window, beating Peru 4-1 and Chile 4-2, while Rafa Marquez’s men have drawn 1-1 with Colombia and 1-1 with Peru in their two matches this autumn.
Saturday’s match may be billed as a friendly, but USMNT defenders Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest both know the importance of facing Mexico.
“I feel like it’s always been the same since the first time I played against Mexico,” Robinson told reporters Thursday. “It’s a qualifier or a friendly, the Nations League, the Gold Cup, it’s always a fierce competition. You want to win. It’s a really personal feeling and you want to win it. I’d call it a derby in that sense. That’s what we’re trying to bring now. Nobody goes into this friendly.”
“I feel like it’s a real culture and a real passion for soccer,” Dest said of the USMNT-Mexico rivalry. “It’s always amazing to see the competition between the teams in general. This is one of them. Playing America against Mexico is one of the best games here. Yes, it’s going to be a tough game. Sometimes there will be battles, sometimes there won’t be, but we’re playing on our home field, so we have to show our passion to them and they can have a great team against us. brotherhood.”
The USMNT’s win over Chile on Tuesday saw a shootout between the two teams at the end of the match, prompting both benches to clear and race onto the field. USMNT defender Chris Richards and Chilean forward Leandro Hernandez were at the forefront of the fray after the debutant keeper collected a loose ball and put Hernandez’s foot in Brian Schwack’s face.
It was the second showdown between the USMNT and a CONMEBOL rival in the last 12 months, following a program interruption with Paraguay at Subaru Park last October. Alex Freeman and Gustavo Gomez were involved in a shoving match on the sidelines during the shoot-out, which caused both benches to scramble and Mauricio Pochettino to fall to the pitch.
The USMNT-Mexico rivalry has seen some heated moments between the two teams, and both Robinson and Dest expect that intensity to continue with both teams looking to win.
“There was a glimpse of the fire these types of teams can bring at the end of the Chile game,” Robinson said. “So we’ve been telling the young guys, when we play against Mexico, you’re going to expect that and more. And obviously, the crowd can play a big factor. There’s probably going to be more Mexican fans than we expected to be there. So we know how important this game is for both teams and the guys will experience that and hopefully they’ll be excited for the first game. Enjoy it and be ready to fight.”
“Obviously these are the toughest games and you will feel it, the crowd, the fans from both sides,” said Dest, who was previously sent off against Mexico in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League semi-final. “The atmosphere is going to be amazing. Obviously, for the players who are playing this as one of their first big games, it can be a little bit at times, they can be nervous. That’s normal. But the only thing I can help them with is to stay calm and believe in all the abilities they’ve trained for all these years and just show what you’ve got because that’s what we need.”
The USMNT will look for a third straight win before closing out a four-match window against Canada on Oct. 6.