Having begun the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle with two straight victories, Mauricio Pochettino leads a young USMNT squad into its toughest test yet as they meet bitter CONCACAF rivals Mexico in Arizona on Saturday evening.
Pochettino has brought in a litany of young players hoping to bring along the next generation of talent early in the current four-year cycle, looking to built the program for both now and the future.
Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Mathis Albert, and many more young players have enjoyed key moments in multi-goal wins over Peru and Chile leading into this match.
Mexico, ranked 10th in the world, their highest spot in the FIFA list since 2022, come into this game having played to two 1-1 draws to begin the extra-long international break.
The Sporting News brings you a full list of player ratings for the match, analyzing the USMNT’s individual performances from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.
MORE: A look at the USMNT’s all-time record against Mexico
USA vs. Mexico live score
Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR)
USA starting lineup:
USA (4-2-3-1, right to left): 24. D. Kochen (GK) — 16. A. Freeman, 3. C. Richards, 6. A. Trusty, 5. A. Robinson — 14. S. Berhalter, 4. T. Adams — 8. C. Sullivan, 7. G. Reyna, 17. M. Tillman — 19. J. Hall.
USA bench: Schwake (GK), Freese (GK), Campbell, Pierre, Westfield, Miller, Dest, Mehmeti, Musah, Raines, Albert, Gozo, Ellis, Downs.
MORE: Why Folarin Balogun’s red card was suspended | FIFA has made a royal mess of the Balogun saga
USA vs. Mexico live match stats
USMNT live player ratings vs. Mexico
All ratings are on a 10-point scale.
Starters
GK — Diego Kochen: Grade pending
It was a surprise that Diego Kochen was given the nod in goal for this match over World Cup starter Matt Freese, a major show of confidence and faith by Mauricio Pochettino.
Was put under significant pressure early on as Mexico pressured hard right out of the gates. He decisively came off his line to smother a chance on the counter-attack in the 13th minute.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
RB — Alex Freeman: Grade pending
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
RCB — Chris Richards: Grade pending
Got away with an early mistake failing to track a man on a long-ball to give Mexico a huge two-on-one chance in the fourth minute that they botched.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
LCB — Auston Trusty: Grade pending
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
LB — Antonee Robinson: Grade pending
Made a huge error in the fourth minute defending two-on-one clearing a long ball right to a Mexico player, but he recovered well to get in the way and help prevent the chance.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
CM — Tyler Adams: Grade pending
After being announced as the team’s full-time captain, Tyler Adams got the start anchoring the USMNT midfield.
Early on, Mexico applied a ton of pressure, and Adams was pulled out of position a good bit, allowing the visitors to build through the middle. Dropped into the left-back position a bunch to allow Antonee Robinson to get high up the field.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
CM — Sebastian Berhalter: Grade pending
Looked shell-shocked early on as Mexico applied a ton of pressure to the midfield.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
RW — Cavan Sullivan: Grade pending
Given a huge nod from Mauricio Pochettino, Cavan Sullivan became the youngest USMNT player to ever start against Mexico at 17 years, five days old.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
ACM — Gio Reyna: Grade pending
Worked very hard to try and win possession back for the United States early on, but had a hard time without a lot of help.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
LW — Malik Tillman: Grade pending
With Mexico pressing hard early, Tillman was invisible, not able to find the spaces to be an outlet for his teammates.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
FWD — Julian Hall: Grade pending
Having already scored two goals so far this international window, one against each opponent, Red Bulls teenager Julian Hall earned the right to start at striker in this match.
This section will be updated as the game progresses and the players contribute to the match proceedings.
USMNT substitutes vs. Mexico
This section will be updated as players enter the match off the bench and begin to influence the game.
USMNT coach vs. Belgium
Mauricio Pochettino: Grade pending
This section will be updated after the game is over and a proper evaluation can be made of the coach’s approach to the match.
