Mauricio Pochettino suffered his first loss as USMNT head coach on Tuesday in a 2–0 loss as his side was thoroughly outplayed by Mexico. A night that could've been used to build confidence instead becomes a showcase of the work cut out for the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss.
The overall performance was unacceptable for a game against its fiercest rival, albeit a friendly. There's a noticeable gap between starters and those pushing for more first team minutes, and bad tendencies from the Gregg Berhalter era still remain. It's still extremely early into Pochettino's tenure, so overreactions might be unwarranted, but certain areas need to be addressed moving forward.
Here are three takeaways from the international friendly.
