AUSTIN, Texas — On one side of the U.S.-Mexico rivalry, Mauricio Pochettino beamed. Adulation poured onto the pitch Saturday after a 2-0 win over Panama. Fans chanted Pochettino’s name, and a banner bearing his face summed up the consensus vibe around the U.S. men’s national team: “BELIEVE.”
On the other side, in Puebla, Mexico, boos rained.
They rained for the fifth time in six games, after a 2-2 draw with Spanish club Valencia, in a friendly that should have offered a pressure-free environment to build. But of course, there is no such thing in Mexican soccer. And so, as the USMNT travels south to meet its archrival for the 78th time Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT) the atmosphere around El Tri is fraught with discontent and unease.
To calm it, in July, Mexico fired Jaime Lozano and hired its fourth coach in less than two years, Javier Aguirre.
Aguirre, in his early days on the job, spoke about his desire “to give fans what they’re looking for,” and to “make sure all the fans leave happy with what they see.”
But by the end of his second match, a 0-0 draw with Canada at a two-thirds empty AT&T Stadium in Texas, frustration returned.
And a month later, after Saturday’s draw with a Valencia B-team, fatalism set in.
“Neither [Aguirre] nor anyone else has a ‘magic wand’ to end our soccer crisis,” popular TUDN pundit David Faitelson wrote on X.
Former national team fullback Miguel Layun called for a questioning of “everything” in Mexican soccer, beginning with developmental processes. “You have to do an introspection, a very deep analysis, and start correcting from the bottom up — even if it costs us the 2026 World Cup,” Layun said.
Mexico’s crisis can’t be blamed on coaching
The recurring outcry, in many ways, has been counterproductive. In the past, it has impeded continuity and collective growth. Now, though, at least some sections of the Mexican soccer establishment are searching for and reckoning with the root cause of their pain.
The cause, of course, is not senior national team coaching. Tata Martino, the first of the four recent managers, was not the reason Mexico crashed out of its 2022 World Cup group. Neither he nor Lozano nor any of the 18 men who’ve coached El Tri in the 21st century could lift this current group of Mexican players into soccer’s elite.
Those players, and the systems that shaped them, appear to be the problem. There has long been an incongruity between expectations and the reality of the Mexican player pool, but it has become especially pronounced in recent years. In 2018, Mexico could field a starting 11 mostly plucked from clubs in Europe’s Big Five leagues or the Champions League. In 2024, only three of the current 27-man roster play at that level; 19 of 27 play in Liga MX.
That isn’t a knock on the Mexican league, which remains the pinnacle of North American club soccer. It also isn’t an attack on any of those 27 individuals; when they pull on the green national team jersey, they almost always fight like hell for the badge, and for each other, and for their country.
But they aren’t good enough. They haven’t grown like their predecessors did. Liga MX clubs have been hesitant to transfer them, and eager to pay them — which keeps them at home, away from the valuable discomfort of the European circuit, and probably slows their personal progress, just like staying in MLS would for a mid-20s American player.
There are likely many other reasons for the dip in quality — most of them debatable, some diagnosed, others less clear. The reality is the current Mexican national team is … relatively ordinary.
Aguirre’s return marked by constant pressure
So, in came Aguirre, for the third time, to rescue El Tri from a crisis. He was on the field, as a player, when Mexico last won a World Cup knockout match (in 1986). Shortly after retiring, he moved into coaching, and has led 10 different clubs and three different national teams — Japan, Egypt and his homeland, Mexico.
In his first two stints at the Mexican helm, beginning in 2001 and 2009, Aguirre kickstarted World Cup qualifying cycles that were sputtering. As he took charge again in August, though — this time with former player Rafa Márquez as an assistant — he noted that this third assignment is a very different task.
“There’s a project that’s not only about rescuing three World Cup qualifiers,” Aguirre said. He celebrated the Mexican soccer federation’s long-term vision. There are no qualifiers, only friendlies and regional tournaments; and “enough time to put a good team together” between now and the 2026 World Cup.
Of course, that was also the company line ahead of the 2024 Copa América.
Sporting director Duilio Davino made the decision to omit veterans and choose an experimental roster in order to focus on the long-term goal of the team leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Despite this strategic move, the team faced criticism and pressure after a disappointing group-stage exit, resulting in the sacking of coach Lozano.
Now, the team finds themselves once again under intense scrutiny as they prepare for their upcoming match in Guadalajara. The players and coach Aguirre are well aware of the high expectations and demands of Mexican fans, who are known for their passion and desire for positive results.
Defender Jesús Orozco Chiquete acknowledged the pressure that comes with playing for Mexico, stating that criticism is to be expected when the team does not perform well. The upcoming match against the USMNT, who are missing key players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, poses a significant challenge for the Mexican team. A loss in this match would only intensify the criticism and raise further alarms.
Longtime midfielder Andrés Guardado emphasized the importance of being prepared for the pressure that comes with representing the Mexican national team. The players must be ready to face the responsibility and expectations that come with wearing the national team jersey.
Overall, the Mexican team is facing a crucial moment as they seek to bounce back from recent setbacks and prove themselves in the upcoming match against the USMNT. The pressure is on, and the players must rise to the occasion to meet the high standards set by fans and critics alike.