LIVE BLOG: United States vs Mexico | International Friendly

LIVE BLOG: United States vs Mexico | International Friendly

UNITED STATES LINEUP ANNOUNCED

MEXICO LINEUP ANNOUNCED

Welcome to the LIVE BLOG of the friendly between United States and Mexico, the Concacaf Classic, in the first FIFA international window following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament co-hosted by both national teams!

PREVIEW

United States and Mexico meet once again in the Concacaf Classic, this time as part of a new chapter for both national teams following the 2026 World Cup. The friendly will be played on Saturday, October 3, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, during the FIFA international window.

UNITED STATES, WITH POCHETTINO AND A NEW ERA UNDERWAY

The United States men's national team heads into this matchup with Mauricio Pochettino in charge and focused on building toward the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The head coach has called up 28 players for this international window, combining experience with youth: 13 players featured at the 2026 World Cup, while 12 received their first call-up to the senior national team.

The USMNT enters the game with plenty of confidence after beating Peru 4-1 and Chile 4-2 in its first two matches of the FIFA international window.

MEXICO SET FOR ITS FIRST CLASSICO WITH RAFA MÁRQUEZ

For Mexico, the match marks Rafael Márquez's first opportunity to coach El Tri against the United States. Mexico drew 1-1 with Colombia and 1-1 with Peru in the opening matches of its new cycle.

The matchup will be the 80th meeting between Mexico and the United States across all competitions. The historical record favors El Tri, with 38 wins, 17 draws and 24 losses in the previous 79 encounters.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 p.m. East Time. More than just a friendly, the United States vs. Mexico showdown will serve as an early high-level test for two national teams already beginning to build their next World Cup cycle.

KEY STORYLINES: UNITED STATES VS. MEXICO

New cycle: United States and Mexico begin a new chapter on the road to the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Pochettino vs. Márquez: The matchup will mark Rafael Márquez's first game against the United States as Mexico's head coach.
Concacaf Classic: This will be the 80th meeting between Mexico and the United States, with El Tri holding the historical advantage.6, against Benin, also at the Monumental. The Argentine superstar will feature only in that game, which has been prepared as his farewell in front of the home fans.