Mexico to face Valencia? USA needs to copy Mexico's playbook

Federations for Mexico and the United States men’s national team have announced that the two teams will soon face off. The matchup is set to be played at Estadio Akron near Guadalajara on Oct. 15. It will be the first friendly between the rivals in Mexico in 12 years. The two teams have since scheduled six friendlies outside of CONCACAF competitions, but they were all played in the United States.

Along with the game against the USMNT, Mexico is also planning another fixture around the same timeframe. Reports south of the border claim that Mexico is set to face Valencia in a European friendly in October as well. The LaLiga club, along with every other team in the division, will be on an international break at the time.

Mexico is essentially opting to play a club because many other national teams will be busy in mid-October. World Cup qualifiers and Nations League fixtures fill the international soccer schedule during these two weeks. As a result, Mexico is getting creative on who they will soon face. Just like the match against the USMNT, Mexico will likely host Valencia at Estadio Akron.

While Mexico has European friendly, USMNT takes the easy way out

Although the Mexico-Valencia game has yet to be officially announced, U.S. Soccer should consider a similar move. The organization recently made headlines when they persuaded Mauricio Pochettino to be the next USMNT manager. The Argentine coach is certainly a popular pick for the job. However, he will have his hands full in making the Americans better.

One of the key areas of improvement for the USMNT is to schedule more challenging opponents. U.S. Soccer has been known to face off against lower-level teams, particularly at home, in recent years. The USMNT has not played a match outside of the country at all this year. By the time they play Mexico in Guadalajara, it will have been 11 months since they traveled away to a game.

Not only are they playing too many matches on home soil, but they could benefit from facing tougher teams. Continuously playing lesser opponents does not make teams get better. Instead, there are likely to be complacency issues within the squad.

US Soccer should consider a trip to Europe in 2025

Pochettino’s new team does already have two friendly matches scheduled for the mid-October slot. Along with Mexico, the USMNT will also face off against fellow CONCACAF side Panama. This particular matchup is set to be played in Austin ahead of the trip to Guadalajara.

Nevertheless, a future game against a top club could be beneficial to the Americans. Rather than playing the same national teams, a big club would provide a different challenge. After the matches against Panama and Mexico, the USMNT will face familiar foes in the CONCACAF Nations League. The two-legged quarterfinals start in mid-November.

With the fall international schedule fairly set for the Americans, they could opt to play a top club heading into 2025. A potential trip to Europe during this time would be the best-case scenario for U.S. Soccer. Pochettino’s team would be able to face unique opponents while also experiencing key road tests.

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