The U.S. men's national team returns to action Tuesday night to take on southern neighbor Mexico at the Estadio Akron.
It will be the first showdown between the two CONCACAF nations in Mexico since March 2022 0–0 draw at the Estadio Azteca, when Gerardo 'Tata' Martino and Gregg Berhalter were in charge for their respective teams.
The USMNT heads into the primetime friendly with a bit of momentum after its 2–0 triumph over Panama in Mauricio Pochettino's first match in charge. The win snapped a two-game losing streak against Panama and got the Pochettino era off to a solid start at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
The Stars and Stripes are on a seven-match unbeaten run against Mexico with five wins and two draws. However, the team will be without key figures like Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic as the duo are among five USMNT players that left the squad to return to their respective clubs in order to prevent any potential injuries and limit minutes played.
Zack Steffen, Marlon Fossey and Ricardo Pepi—who came off the bench and scored in stoppage time—will all return to their clubs alongside Pulisic and McKennie ahead of the Mexico clash.
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Pochettino's only real surprise with his first starting lineup as USMNT boss was deploying midfielder Yunus Musah as a right-winger given that Tim Weah—the usual starter in that position—wasn't available due to injury. It proved to be a masterclass form the former Tottenham Hotspur manager as Musah went on to open the scoring after a brilliant team move was finished off from close range.
Given that the Mexico clash is away from home, Pochettino could look to utilize a back-three system to experiment in a non-competitive match. However, given the personnel available in the squad, it seems more likely that he'll roll with a similar formation Tuesday night.
USMNT Predicted Lineup vs. Mexico (4-3-3)
GK: Matt Turner—The Crystal Palace player came up with three key saves in the win against Panama to help keep a clean sheet.
RB: Joe Scally—Scally keeps his place in the side at right-back, looking to hold down his side of the backline.
CB: Miles Robinson—Pochettino could look to give the FC Cincinnati player a look in the heart of defense in place of Mark McKenzie.
CB: Tim Ream—Ream remains the leading figure in the backline that can be relied on for big matches such as the upcoming clash with Mexico.
LB: Antonee Robinson—The Fulham full-back is one of the first names on the team sheet for Pochettino as his attacking qualities stand out in the final third.
CM: Tanner Tessmann—Pochettino could opt to swap out Aidan Morris in favor of Tessmann to give the 23-year-old his fourth appearance as a USMNT player.
CM: Gianluca Busio—Busio is coming off a strong performance in the middle of the park against Panama and should keep his place in the team.
CM: Brenden Aaronson—Aaronson struggled at times vs. Panama but was involved in the buildup for Musah's goal. He also remains the only real creative midfielder in the squad with Gio Reyna injured.
RW: Yunus Musah—After scoring his first goal for the USMNT with a brilliant run to the center of the box, it seems fair to let the Musah experiment on the wing continue in friendly action.
ST: Josh Sargent—With no Folarin Balogun or Ricardo Pepi, Sargent is likely to lead the line and he hopes to get on the scoresheet.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT Predicted Lineup vs. Mexico: International Friendly.
