Anointed by some as USMNT’s “Captain America,” Pulisic had a disappointing World Cup without a goal and only played one nearly full game due to injuries.

After the loss, few were more critical of Pulisic than former USA women’s star Carli Lloyd, who won two Women’s World Cups during her career.

Here’s a closer look at the beef between Lloyd and Pulisic.

BONN: It’s clear Christian Pulisic is not USMNT’s prince that was promised

Christian Pulisic-Carli Lloyd beef

Pulisic has been a target of Lloyd’s criticism in the two days after the United States’ World Cup exit, but there doesn’t appear to be a personal grudge between the two.

Lloyd has previously praised Pulisic, to the point that she received criticism in 2024 for implying he was one of the world’s rising stars. 

“And then Messi has just had that crown. But there’s other players; Jude Bellingham, Pulisic’s coming up,” Lloyd said during Copa America coverage.

That was 🔥 @pulisic! On a different level right now. #USMNT

— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) June 23, 2024

Now, Lloyd is criticizing Pulisic while she is in her role as a Fox Sports analyst — though she also tweeted Tuesday night from her personal account to take aim at the AC Milan standout.

Lloyd has plenty of experience on the world stage, as she won two Women’s World Cups with the United States and famously scored a hat trick in the 2015 Women’s World Cup final.

Here’s a closer look at what Lloyd said about Pulisic.

What did Carli Lloyd say about Christian Pulisic?

Lloyd offered pointed criticism toward Pulisic after the United States lost to Belgium on Monday.

“You wanted some of the big time players to step up in big moments, and I’ve got to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic,” Lloyd said in her role as a Fox Sports analyst. “I think, whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup.”

Carli Lloyd not mincing words on USMNT or Christian Pulisic pic.twitter.com/EahB27vG4J

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) July 7, 2026

After the loss, Pulisic drew some backlash for comments about resting following the ankle injury he suffered against Belgium. “I just twisted my ankle, sprained my ankle. It’s frustrating to end like that of course. But now I get time to rest, so hopefully it’ll be okay,” Pulisic said.

Lloyd didn’t appreciate that sentiment. On Tuesday night, she tweeted, “You rest when your playing career is over. Period.”

You rest when your playing career is over. Period.

— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) July 8, 2026

While Lloyd didn’t call out Pulisic by name, there was no doubt she was responding to the USMNT star. 

Christian Pulisic injuries

Pulisic’s availability during the World Cup was sporadic due to injuries.

The 27-year-old suffered a calf injury just before halftime of the United States’ World Cup opener against Paraguay and missed the team’s next game against Australia. While the USA’s group stage finale against Turkey was meaningless, Pulisic subbed in to get his feet back under him before the knockout stage.

After seemingly returning to health, a visibly frustrated Pulisic suffered an ankle injury against Belgium and was forced out of the game.

“I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play,” Pulisic told reporters after the loss. “I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It’s just unfortunate way to finish.”

Pulisic only played one near-complete game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that hasn’t shielded him from much criticism in the wake of the deflating exit.

The post Carli Lloyd’s Ongoing Critique of Christian Pulisic Following USMNT’s World Cup Departure appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

Golfers drive for show and putt for dough, and that’s the case at the World Cup too where a strong groups stage performance is nice but legends are made in the knockouts where one slip can mean the sudden end of a team’s tournament.

To that end, the U.S. continued its strong tournament with a Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Americans found a way to advance with a 2-0 win that saw striker Folarin Balogun sent off after receiving a controversial straight red card.

Nevertheless, the USMNT marches on to a Round of 16 matchup with Belgium. So how good is the USMNT right now? The Jugo Mobile breaks down what the team’s World Cup results so far mean for the United States and discusses just how far it can go.

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How good is the USMNT?

The United States men are in as good of form as they’ve ever been during a FIFA World Cup.

Records have fallen throughout this tournament. In the group stage, they won two World Cup games in a row for the first time since 1930, and they won their group for the first time ever.

Then, in beating Bosnia & Herzegovina, they won their first World Cup knockout game since the Round of 16 win over Mexico in 2002.

Still, there are weaknesses. The back line features 38-year-old Tim Ream, who has been clean so far in this tournament but has a propensity for errors over the past few years since moving back to MLS.  The midfield is exceedingly thin, a self-imposed weakness after Mauricio Pochettino elected to take an extra defender and leave Tanner Tessmann off the tournament roster.

But there are also strengths here that did not exist one or two years ago. First and foremost, after spending years searching for a competent striker, Folarin Balogun has answered all those questions, providing great hold-up play, world-class off-ball movement, and competent finishing. They have three useful full-backs in Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, and Alex Freeman who all bring different qualities to the table. The starting midfield trio in Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Malik Tillman are all strong performers who are individually great and combine to become greater than the sum of their parts.

And of course, they are elevated significantly by the level of their best player Christian Pulisic, who is in the form of his life. Pulisic was arguably the best player in Serie A through the first half of the season, and while he struggled mightily for end product in the second half, his revival this summer with the national team makes it clear the issues ran much deeper than CP at AC Milan.

Finally, the USMNT has a head coach with more tactical knowledge and coaching ability than any previous manager in national team history. Pochettino’s setup of a hybrid 4-2-3-1 has been a masterstroke in maximizing the talent pool, and his man management skills mean there has been team-wide buy-in from the entire squad.

Can the USMNT win the World Cup?

The short answer is yes, anything can theoretically happen. The longer, more reasonable answer is almost certainly not, unless they play out of their minds and literally everything falls into their lap. Getting by Belgium without striker Folarin Balogun, who will miss the match due to the red card he received against Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be a tall task on its own.

Winning the entire World Cup? Well, that still feels like a bit of a pipe dream.

The USMNT will almost surely not win the FIFA World Cup. They are not at that level yet, and they will very likely have to beat two, maybe three top-five teams in the FIFA rankings to get there.

The only realistic chance the USMNT has to win the 2026 World Cup is if multiple top teams are upset before reaching the stage where they would have to play Mauricio Pochettino’s team. If the U.S. have to go through Spain, France, and Argentina to win the World Cup, it’s not happening. 

While this team is capable of beating any given team on any given day if it minimizes its mistakes and gets a few bounces to go its way, generational upsets like that don’t happen in bunches. Beating one of Spain, France, or Argentina is certainly possible on current form, but stacking upsets like that on top of one another isn’t just unlikely, it’s unprecedented.

The only real shot the U.S. has of winning the World Cup goes like this: it upsets Spain in the quarterfinals, plays Morocco in the semifinals after the Moroccans stun France, and then faces Colombia in the final after the Colombians upset Argentina. Even that pathway feels unlikely, but it’s far more manageable than the alternative.

When you put it all together, the U.S. will not win the World Cup. It doesn’t need to do that just yet to elevate the sport in this country.

The post Assessing the USMNT’s True Potential After Advancing to the World Cup Round of 16 appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

Since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Red Devils have been near the top of many fans’ lists as a least-favorite team, likely under England and Mexico. While it has been a rather one-sided rivalry, the history between Belgium and the United States will be rekindled on Monday night at the 2026 World Cup Round of 16, just over 12 years since that fateful night in Brazil.

Here’s a quick look at the history between these two nations.

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USA vs Belgium history

Throughout their history as soccer nations, the U.S. and Belgium have played each other seven times across all competitions. Both countries actually played their first World Cup game against each other on July 13, 1930, in Parque Central, Montevideo, Uruguay. The Americans emerged victorious, but it would be the last time for a while.

While no major drama stirred from when the countries met through their five international friendlies, a rivalry was born at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Despite a 16-save performance from Tim Howard in the USMNT’s net, his team could not find the offensive firepower and did not score throughout regulation time. The Stars and Stripes were able to finally salvage a goal after Belgium scored two in extra time, but couldn’t get that elusive second goal.

USA vs Belgium head to head

Across their seven total meetings since 1930, Team USA has not won a match against the Belgians after their first meeting on July 13, 1930. The game also served as the United States’ first match at a World Cup, and they prevailed 3-0. 

Since then, the “rivalry” has been very one-sided. The U.S. has lost the last six meetings against the Red Devils, and their second-most recent match at the 2014 World Cup. During that match, Tim Howard gave his performance of a lifetime with 16 saves, but two extra-time goals for Belgium were enough to push them through to the quarterfinals.

USA vs Belgium: Last five meetings

MORE USMNT NEWS:

Last USA vs Belgium World Cup match

The USA and Belgium’s last meeting at the World Cup came at the 2014 edition in Brazil. On a hot night at Casa de Apostas Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, many counted the U.S. out before they even stepped foot onto the pitch. Howard, however, had different plans.

While the European side booted shot after shot at Howard’s net, the American goalkeeper failed to waver during regulation time. Heading into the break before extra time, Howard had still maintained a clean sheet against an evidently much better Belgian team. In the 93rd minute, Howard’s fortune had run out, and Belgium was able to put two goals past him.

The U.S. did have a few opportunities after Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead, but the Stars and Stripes could not make the most of their shots after getting a goal back. 

Here are the highlights from that special night in Salvador:

USA vs Belgium World Cup betting odds

While the odds are narrow to open, the co-host United States is the slight favorite to win Monday’s Round of 16 match against Belgium. The U.S. has historically struggled against European soccer teams throughout recent history, but maybe the bookmakers are expecting the team’s latest 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina to turn the tide.

Belgium has not looked great in this World Cup, as they fell behind 2-0 to Senegal and looked to be outclassed for a large portion of the game. The criticism can’t extend too far, as they were able to overcome that deficit with a 3-2 last-minute win.

Here’s how the odds look to open before Monday’s match.

The post Exploring the USMNT’s Historic Encounters with Belgium in the Round of 16 appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

On the eve of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on U.S. soil, the players on the field for the senior United States men’s national team blatantly weren’t good enough.

It had nothing to do with desire, or commitment, or heart — all things head coach Mauricio Pochettino had recently seemed to indicate wasn’t good enough from the regular starters.

All the desire in the world couldn’t hide the fact that the players simply weren’t good enough. They made mistakes up and down the pitch. Matt Turner, Mark McKenzie, Max Arfsten, Nathan Harriel — all of them were guilty of glaring errors that led to Switzerland goals, while the attacking unit was invisible across nearly the entire 45 minutes.

It was so bad that Pochettino made five changes at the halftime break before going into protection mode after the match, repeatedly ducking questions about the quality of the players by putting the blame on himself. “It was my fault,” Pochettino insisted, inviting criticism of himself to keep the players out of the spotlight.

Unfortunately, Pochettino falling on his sword wasn’t enough to hide the glaring lack of quality all across the USMNT squad.

So, how did the team get here? How is it just one year out from the biggest World Cup competition in U.S. history, and Pochettino is about to contest the Gold Cup — a continental championship — with a roster of nobodies?

In the hopes of lighting a fire under the first-choice regulars for a perceived lack of intensity, Pochettino called in a group of misfits to generate competition within the national team squad. With the Gold Cup now set to begin, that decision has backfired royally. Instead of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Joe Scally, Josh Sargent, Tanner Tessmann, and Alejandro Zendejas — all of whom boast strong club credentials far beyond those in the current squad — Pochettino chose a host of largely domestic-based players who simply couldn’t hang.

It was a “football decision” to leave those players off the Gold Cup roster, he said at the time.

The individuals he turned to instead weren’t up to the challenge. Switzerland diced up the hapless USMNT players repeatedly throughout an embarrassing first half.

“We expected a level of intensity and commitment, with the bar to be raised from the end of the Berhalter era and not to be dropped. That’s the biggest disappointing thing,” TNT Sports analyst Kyle Martino said after the match.

“Pochettino set out a team that probably wasn’t set up for success.”

If Pochettino was hoping to generate competition within the squad, he’s horribly misread the job description of his position. It’s not the head coach’s job to create artificial competition by deploying players who have no hope of actually earning a place on the World Cup roster. It’s his job to get the most out of the team’s best players, not exile them to the periphery for a contrived excuse to select backups unfit for performing on the international stage.

Instead of finding a diamond in the rough, Pochettino has unintentionally achieved the opposite of his goal. It’s clearer than ever that the first-choice group of players is vital to the success of the USMNT. All the coach has done is waste valuable match minutes against top-tier competition, of which the USMNT is sorely lacking over the next year. 

Pochettino was apologetic after the embarrassing defeat, saying the lineup choice “didn’t work” and taking the blame for deploying the individuals who failed to compete. Unfortunately, it’s too late. He’s stuck with these individuals for the rest of the summer, the admitted “risk” taken by selecting such an inexperienced roster. He hasn’t just wasted two friendlies, he’s wasted the entire Gold Cup — and with it the final competitive matches before next summer’s World Cup.

Instead of discovering individuals who can push the regulars for playing time over the next year, the U.S. head coach is stuck with a group of players hardly capable of competing at the necessary level, while the regulars sit at home through a wasted summer that could have been used to gain valuable chemistry — something they’ve sorely lacked at previous World Cup tournaments in the recent past.

So, what now? The Gold Cup is wasted, and there’s no margin for error. Pochettino can’t screw around anymore experimenting with the roster. He has to decide who’s in and who’s out now and make sure those players are on every single international squad from September until the World Cup next year. There’s no more time to mess around.

The spotlight is now on Pochettino to deploy the best players in this pool in every single match after the Gold Cup is over. It’s now on him to get the best out of a group of individuals that’s gained a reputation for complacency. He tried contrived competition for places, and that blew up in his face. Now it’s on him to motivate players who need a push.

The vibes around the USMNT are awful, but there’s nothing U.S. Soccer can conceivably do. They’re invested in Pochettino as The Guy to usher the squad into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, both financially and psychologically. Firing him now would be pointless — it would send the group into even more turmoil at a seismic financial cost.

Knowing there’s no way but forward, this coaching staff and federation must completely change its approach. Whatever plan they had — if there even was one — goes in the bin. Start from scratch and figure it out. Time’s running out.

The post USMNT’s Confusion Ahead of World Cup: Analyzing the Impact of the Switzerland Defeat appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

There isn’t anything that has gone right for the national team since the last World Cup ended in Qatar, with the possible exception of the man hired to extinguish this three-year-old conflagration. Mauricio Pochettino has lots to repair and little time to do it, and much that is outside his control is impeding his work.

This includes the absence of star forward Christian Pulisic for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, but the impact of his decision to rest in the next six weeks rather than join the USMNT this summer is being exaggerated because of his standing within the program.

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It’s happening again. American soccer is tormenting American soccer’s best male player for choosing to prioritize his health in order to facilitate remaining American soccer’s best male player into the future. And Pulisic is being treated as harshly for focusing on his fitness for the coming season – and the actual World Cup – in the same way as Landon Donovan when he took a four-month mental health break at the start of 2013.

And let’s not lose sight of the fact it was not Pulisic who ordained the Gold Cup to be a second-class tournament this summer. That came from FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, which is launching an expanded Club World Cup in the United States this summer and declared participating organizations did not have to release players for national team competitions. USMNT regulars Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie of Italy’s Juventus and midfielder Gio Reyna of Germany’s Borussia Dortmund will be with their clubs and not available to Pochettino.

Without those three and star left back Jedi Robinson, who will be missing as he tries to recover from injury, as well as midfielder Yunus Musah absent for “personal reasons”, the national team already is without half of its customary starting lineup.

Under these circumstances, the value of Pulisic’s participation is substantially diminished. After the United States had played so miserably at last summer’s Copa America and even worse in the CONCACAF Nations League in March, the Gold Cup was understandably viewed by analysts as an opportunity to build toward a successful formula in advance of next summer’s World Cup. That’s not possible now, with or without Pulisic.

There are windows for friendly competition in September, October and November, and then again in March 2026. If you want to build chemistry, that’s when it’ll need to happen. That’s the reality of the USMNT’s circumstance.

BONN: Sitting Christian Pulisic for Gold Cup is misstep for USMNT

In his second year at AC Milan, Pulisic completed a second consecutive season of more than 2,400 minutes played. That’s more league soccer than he played in the previous four seasons combined, all with Chelsea FC. And, in 2024-25, he played another 1,149 minutes in cup games with Milan. Starting last June, Pulisic played 664 minutes with the USMNT in the Copa America, fall friendlies and the Nations League. That’s 4,291 total in a calendar year – the equivalent of 48 soccer games.

According to Opta, Pulisic is one of 10 outfield players in the top five EuropeanLeagues to appear in at least 50 games the past two seasons. This is someone who frequently injured during his time in the Premier League, so much so there were some who speculated he’d never be consistently healthy as a pro soccer player.

At that level, the multiple-choice question becomes pretty simple:

Do you want Pulisic:A) At his best for the World Cup next summer?

B) Available to join primarily reserve players in the Gold Cup?

There is a similarity to Donovan making himself unavailable at the start of 2013, when MLS was in preseason but the USMNT were starting their second stage of World Cup qualifying. Donovan missed the team’s first two World Cup qualifiers that year before returning to the roster and helping to assure qualification for Brazil 2014.

He said at the time: “We have a sort of stigma that being in a difficult mental place is not acceptable. We should ‘pull ourselves up by the bootstraps’ and ‘fight through it,’ and all this, and it’s a little peculiar to me, that whole idea, that if someone’s physically hurt, we’re OK with letting them take the time they need to come back, but if someone’s in a difficult time mentally, we’re not OK with letting them take the time they need to come back. Hopefully, there’s at least a few people out in the world that can relate to this and can somewhat be inspired.”

Pulisic’s circumstance is more about managing physical drain. It’s unlikely he will receive the same punishment Donovan apparently did for his decision: The following June, after Donovan had returned and scored the clinching goal in the decisive qualifier against Mexico, he was left off the World Cup roster.

Pulisic will be there in LA a year from now. And he’ll be in the lineup, so long as he is healthy. Taking this break offers no guarantees, but does make it more likely.

The post USMNT’s Christian Pulisic: Why Resting Takes Precedence Over Pursuing the CONCACAF Gold Cup appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

A stunning goal from Jack McGlynn plus a striker’s hit from Patrick Agyemang put a domestic-based U.S. men’s squad up at halftime, and Matko Miljevic finished off the deal with under a half-hour to go.

The USMNT dominated the match from start to finish and were only denied more goals by a wonderful performance from Wuilker Farinez. The 26-year-old Venezuelan goalkeeper made five saves throughout the match, many of them truly impressive, while denying an early Miljevic penalty as well.

With the match falling outside an official FIFA international window, the roster was constructed entirely of players based in the U.S. As a result, six starters made their USMNT debuts, while two others got their first international starts.

A number of USMNT players stood out as potentially useful pieces in the future, including the two goal scorers. McGlynn not only scored a sensational strike but was dominant in midfield, helping the U.S. control possession and repeatedly progress the ball forward. He also was excellent on corner duty, repeatedly finding open U.S. attackers on set pieces, and he picked up an assist Miljevic’s counter-attack goal as well.

Agyemang was a true menace up front, following his sophomore MLS season with Charlotte FC where he scored 10 goals. He consistently broke the Venezuela back line with his well-timed runs, and he won the early penalty which Miljevic saw saved.

“Once that ball squeaks through, I’m like, yeah — 1v1, my best position, I love it,” Agyemang said to the TNT broadcast after the match. “I saw the keeper come out and stepped into it, I love getting the shot off my left foot and knew I had the confidence to strike through it.

“I lit up, I love the room when I’m 1v1, and don’t think many defenders like running with me.”

VIDEO: Watch Jack McGlynn’s stunning opener vs. Venezuela | Watch Patrick Agyemang’s goal

The game completely changed late when USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino introduced a number of substitutions past the hour mark, leading to much more Venezuela pressure, but the late slip takes nothing away from the strong 60 minutes.

There were still some enjoyable moments late, like when McGlynn’s “magical left foot” (as former USMNT star and current Philadelphia Union teammate Alejandro Bedoya put it) nearly scored an insane second goal with 15 minutes remaining. His 30-yard sizzler had all of Chase Stadium holding its breath until it sailed just inches wide of the top-left corner.

January camp rarely provides tangible profit to the U.S. first-choice squad due to the lack of first-team regulars who are available for selection. In recent years, the domestic-based talent available has continued to decrease as many regular internationals near the upper end of the depth chart move to clubs overseas.

With a January camp roster lacking much to excite fans, a few players seemed to buck the narrative as they hope to perform at a level that gets them a shot at the first-team level.

Next up is a friendly Wednesday against Miguel Herrera and Costa Rica in Orlando, where Pochettino will eye another positive performance to indicate his tactical approach is trending in the right direction and players show they are valuable pieces for selection in a competitive future window.

The post Key Takeaways from USMNT’s Victory Over Venezuela: January Camp Could Reveal Emerging Talents, Featuring Jack McGlynn appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

The USMNT has lifted the Nations League trophy in all three editions of the tournament since its inception in 2019, and in an effort to make it four straight, they have advanced to be among the final four nations.

Thanks to its aggregate victory over the Reggae Boyz, the USMNT becomes the first team to secure a berth in the Nations League semifinals, with three other participants to be determined. Once those quarterfinal matches play out, it will be easier to predict who the U.S. will face in the next stage.

The Jugo Mobile brings you a full overview of how the CONCACAF Nations League formulates its semifinal matchups and how the U.S. will have their eventual opponent determined for the games in March.

CONCACAF Nations League semifinal seeding

The four CONCACAF Nations League semifinalists are organized into a defacto table that treats the two quarterfinal legs as separate matches with points to be won. Thus, each victory is worth three points while each draw is worth one.

Then, the team at the top of the seeding table is given the No. 1 seed, and they face the team at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, the teams in positions two and three are matched up in the other semifinal.

2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal results

Scorelines are listed with home team’s score first. Seeded teams are away for the first leg and home for second leg.

2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League semifinal seeding table

Who will the USMNT play in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal?

As the quarterfinal matchups have not been played to completion, it’s not yet known who the U.S. will play in the Nations League semifinal.

Their six points and +3 differential give them a strong standing in the seeding table and make it likely they will finish at the top of the standings, but all other matchups must be completed before they can know their own finish in the table and that of their potential opponents.

As the table currently stands, here are a few things we know for certain:

• Panama cannot finish top of the seeding table
• Mexico would finish a guaranteed fourth if they manage to secure a comeback against Honduras
• The only teams that could jump the USMNT in the seeding table are Canada and Honduras, with both needing a multi-goal victory to do so.

Given this, it’s likely that the USMNT will play either Panama, Honduras, or Mexico in the semifinal depending on the outcome of the remaining second legs on Tuesday. The U.S. could also potentially play Suriname if they manage a shocking upset of Canada in Toronto.

2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League schedule

Quarterfinals

First Leg

Second Leg

Semifinals

3rd Place Match

Final

The post USMNT’s Upcoming Opponent and Semifinal Schedule for the CONCACAF Nations League appeared first on Jugo Mobile.

The United States has never in history won a men’s senior team competitive match on Mexican soil.

With a friendly defeat against El Tri on October 15, 2024 as Mauricio Pochettino got his first taste of this heated and historic rivalry. There wasn’t a chance for the USMNT to reverse course in a competitive sense, but it served as a stark reminder of their inferiority south of the border.

Since the two sides will not contest 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying thanks to their status as tournament co-hosts, and both the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments are played in the United States, they won’t have a chance to achieve a historic reversal of this ugly historic footnote, but the U.S. can continue to build towards such a result with Pochettino now in charge.

ARCHIVE: USA vs. Mexico stakes were never been higher ahead of 2022 World Cup qualifier

USMNT record in Mexico at Estadio Azteca, others

The United States has never beaten Mexico in a competitive match at Estadio Azteca. In fact, the U.S. has never emerged victorious from any stadium on Mexican soil in a competitive match.

The only win for the U.S. in Mexico came in a friendly in 2012 where a goal from substitute Michael Orozco Fiscal resulted in a 1-0 victory.

There admittedly haven’t been many chances for the U.S. to do so. Prior to 1980, the southern neighbors dominated the rivalry, with a string of 24 straight victories. That run followed the first match ever between the teams, a 1934 World Cup qualifying win for the U.S. in Rome.

Since 1980, when the U.S. picked up its first win since that 1934 victory, the U.S. has played just 11 matches at Estadio Azteca, with most of them coming in World Cup qualification. The U.S. has actually fared well of late, drawing two and winning one over its last three matches at the Azteca.

* Match took place at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara

Overall USMNT record vs. Mexico

When looking at the overall record, it’s worth splitting up the record into two eras. Prior to 1980, the United States was utterly dominated, as Mexico collected a string of 24 consecutive victories to put a lone 1934 U.S. win in the first-ever World Cup qualifying.

Since a November, 1980 win for the U.S., the rivalry has been much more competitive. In fact, since that time, the U.S. has collected four more wins than Mexico, with 11 draws sprinkled in.

Still, all but one of those 20 U.S. wins came either on home soil or in neutral venues. The United States to this day has won just a single game on Mexican soil, and none amongst competitive matches.

Pre-1980: Mexico 24 wins, USA 1 win, 3 draws

Post-1980: Mexico 13 wins, USA 23 wins, 14 draws

Overall record: Mexico 37 wins, USA 24 wins, 17 draws

Why has USMNT struggled at Azteca?

There are many factors for the U.S. struggles on the road in Mexico.

First, prior to 1980, the United States was flat out not good enough. The team was second-best in the confederation, and Mexican dominance was on full display.

Since, as the U.S. gained prominence and talent, the Stars and Stripes have still not been able to secure victory in competitive matches south of the border. There are a number of reasons for this.

First, the stadium is an absolute fortress. The hostile environment is like none other, and Mexican fans make it extremely difficult on the opponents. The Mexican team feels at home in the arena, proven by just four dropped points over five unbeaten home qualifying matches this cycle, as opposed to eight dropped points — including two losses — in six road matches.

Second, the altitude causes problems for all visiting squads. At 7,200 feet above sea level, Estadio Azteca is nearly 2,000 feet higher than the famed Mile High Stadium of Denver, Colorado. That puts opposing teams at a severe disadvantage as their bodies take time to acclimate to the conditions, allowing Mexico to wear out its opponents over a 90 minute match.

Third, the history itself can play a factor. The U.S. media is well aware of the team’s struggles on Mexican soil, and the topic comes up repeatedly before big matches. That can play a part mentally as the players feel they have history on their shoulders.

No USA vs. Mexico in World Cup qualifying for foreseeable future

With the World Cup expanding from 32 teams to 48 teams in 2026, the U.S. and Mexico have automatically qualified for for the competition, meaning they will not contest the CONCACAF qualifying tournament.

Additionally, for future FIFA championships, the federation will earn six full berths to the World Cup plus two spots in the intercontinental playoff.

Thus, the U.S. and Mexico won’t have much issue qualifying amongst a very top-heavy federation. In the 2018 World Cup qualifying standings, when the U.S. missed out, it still finished fifth in the table in a worst-case-scenario situation. While qualification for Mexico and the United States won’t be a fully foregone conclusion, it will be close to one.

Unfortunately, because of that, this historic fixture will lose a lot of its luster in the coming years.

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When substitute striker Ricardo Pepi saw two opportunities at close range in the 90th minuteth minute, no one but him hardly cared. The USMNT was going to win and Pulisic, their star and captain, was going all the way. This was the only genuine disappointment on a night that produced a 2-0 win and the obligatory three points against the 84th-ranked team in the world.

Pulisic has two more challenging games than this one in the next nine days. The first will be on Thursday against No. 43 Panama in Atlanta, and then Group C play will close on Monday against No. 14 Uruguay in Kansas City. The Americans will need him at his best in those games.

Because Pulisic’s best is better than any current USMNT player. And possibly better than anyone who has represented this country.

Goal by Christian Pulisic, assist vs. Bolivia in the Copa América 2024

Pulisic participated in each of the first-half goals that led to this victory at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. He scored the first in the third minute, fooling Bolivia by taking a short corner kick and then heading to the left edge of the box to unleash a strident, bending shot into the top right corner of the net. Pulisic said the play was designed by set-piece coach Gianni Vio, whom he recognized in the middle of the celebration.

Bolivia’s plan to stack their defense in the box and get a draw or a win with a counter-attacking goal was ruined within 270 seconds. And their hope of getting something out of the game was dashed just before half-time when Pulisic drove the ball through the center of the defense and found Folarin Balogun near the spot from where the first goal had been scored. Balogun’s goal was not the missile that had come from Pulisic, but he counted just the same and put the opponent in a position from which they were unlikely to win.

“It was huge for us to start like that, and start the game like that, get the early goal,” Pulisic told TUDN. “We should bring some momentum to the next game, because we have tough games ahead of us.”

Christian Pulisic’s record with USMNT

Pulisic’s goal was the 30th of his career. It came when Pulisic was 25 years and 279 days old, moving him into a tie for fifth place on the USMNT’s career scoring list, with U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Brian McBride, and his number 69 of Pulisic’s international career.

A co-leader in national team goals, Landon Donovan was 25 years and 21 days old when his hat-trick in a friendly against Ecuador in March 2007 took him to the 30-goal mark. Donovan, however, didn’t get there until his 87th cap.

Pulisic’s assist on Balogun’s goal moved him to No. 7 on the USMNT’s career list. It’s unlikely he’ll ever catch Donovan in that category (Landon is No. 1 with 58 assists and No. 2 Michael Bradley with 23), but Christian became the first to record assists in five different competitions. And performances like Sunday’s make the case for him as the national team’s best player increasingly stronger.

Christian Pulisic’s career with USMNT and club level

If the discussion were about the most successful male player in the country, I might end this column when this sentence finds its point. Pulisic has been an essential player in winning the UEFA Champions League, scoring the decisive goal in Chelsea’s semi-final against Real Madrid in 2021 and then setting up the series decider with a flawless pass. He has also played in the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.

He won the DFB-Pokal, the German Cup, with Dortmund. In 2023-24 in Milan, his first year in Italy, the statistics service Opta named him a member of the Serie A Team of the Season.

However, in this context, with the USMNT beginning its last major tournament before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, what is more pertinent is whether Pulisic has surpassed Donovan as the national team’s best.

Both players experienced momentous moments in the World Cup. Donovan’s was more dramatic: the magical goal he scored in added time against Algeria in 2010 to propel the Americans from World Cup elimination to group winners. Pulisic’s involved more personal sacrifice: his goal against Iran in 2022 to knock the United States out of their group required him to take a hit from the goalkeeper in the most sensitive area.

Donovan’s advantage in the discussion is how much busier he was with the national team. He became the youngest American to reach 100 caps. Pulisic has missed more time due to injury, but the biggest difference is that the US played 16 more games in Donovan’s first nine seasons than in Pulisic’s, largely because the COVID-19 pandemic limited the USMNT to three games in 2020.

If we give Pulisic a full season there, how many more goals would he have? If we’d given him a typical World Cup qualifying process, not one riddled with a frigid winter and packed into three-game windows out of necessity, how much more dominant could he have been? He scored five goals in 10 qualifying games, and coach Gregg Berhalter had no choice but to rotate his lineups with so many games in such a short time.

Donovan set a notable standard with his play for the USMNT. And he participated in three World Cups with the United States; Pulisic only has one to date and will need one or two more to come close to Donovan’s standard of achievement.

However, no one has achieved more in fewer opportunities than Pulisic. It may not be long before this is not even a debate.

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The Americans, ranked 11th in the world by FIFA, are not considered the main contenders to win the Copa America, but local fans are hoping they will at least qualify for the knockout stage, while many are setting the bar higher. , asking his team to reach at least the semifinals.

Coach Gregg Berhalter has repeatedly stated that the goal is not to win the Copa América but to better prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at home, also adding that a good performance in this tournament is an important component of that process.

Bolivia, ranked 84th in the world, is the lowest ranked of the 11 South American nations and has struggled in its history to achieve results outside its home stronghold in La Paz, which sits at 12,000 feet.

Since the start of 2019, Bolivia has just won three away games, all in friendlies against Andorra, Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia, drawing two and losing 20. Their last competitive away win was against Ecuador in the 2015 Copa América. , organized by Chile.

United States vs. Bolivia Prediction and Odds

• Lean Money Line: United States (-500)
• Score prediction: United States 3-0 Bolivia

Given the level of the rivals and the teams that will reach the group stage, anything less than a comfortable victory will be a disappointment for the United States. They don’t need to win by four or five goals, but a victory by several goals is expected.

In truth, there shouldn’t be much chance of any kind of unrest here. Bolivia does not perform well away from home and the talent disparity is great. While the USMNT can sometimes struggle against lower-tier opposition on the road, especially in CONCACAF, it shouldn’t be a problem here at home.

The United States may see their Copa America dreams blown to pieces if they disappoint, but don’t expect that to happen.

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