The USMNT sent a B-team to Mexico and lost its undefeated streak vs. El Tri in tragic fashion.

Christian Pulisic and Weston McKenney were probably sleeping in Italy. Several other stars on the US men's national team are recovering from injuries. And in their absence Tuesday night, the USMNT lost to Mexico for the first time in more than five years — in a match marked by controversy over its significance.

On the one hand, It was US-MexicoThe CONCACAF Clasico, a combustible rivalry, and therefore a game that both sides insist they will play to win.

On the other hand, it was only a friendly, pre-examination without real results; And so, after Saturday's win over Panama, new U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino allowed Pulisic, McKenney and three others to return to their clubs.

The result was a 2-0 loss to Mexico in Zapopan on Tuesday three – and a performance that, frankly, never seemed capable of winning.

“It looked like the USA didn't want to play. It looked like nobody wanted the ball,” former USMNT star DaMarcus Beasley said on TNT at halftime. “There is no one for the moment, playing in Mexico against Mexico.”

And midway through the first half, Raul Jimenez punished their laziness. Passive possession led to an aimless American long ball, then a foul 25 yards from goal. Jimenez curled the ensuing free kick over the US wall and past goalkeeper Matt Turner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Before the goal, the game was scrappy and relatively even. Later, the hosts took over and maintained control. The Americans couldn't get anything going – not even a shot in the first half. (They finally put one on target in the 79th minute.)

And shortly after halftime, Mexico doubled their lead on a direct attack. Jimenez, a 33-year-old reborn star, won a battle up front with 37-year-old defender Tim Remm and Cesar Huerta beat Turner 2-0.

For most of the remaining 40 minutes, one-way traffic remained. And American frustration simmered, because of previous iterations of the USMNT was I'm up for this moment. The 2012 team won at the Estadio Azteca. In the next three World Cup cycles, U.S. teams traveled to Mexico City and earned points each. They haven't lost in Mexico since 2009.

And in recent years, they took control of the rival. The USMNT has won five of its last seven against Mexico and drawn the other two. It has won three consecutive Nations League titles. The United States, for the first time, established itself as the undisputed king of CONCACAF.

Which is, in part, why eyebrows were raised when U.S. Soccer announced Sunday that Pulisic, McKenney and Ricardo Pepi would not travel to Guadalajara.

But Pochettino, in his second week on the job, had legitimate reasons.

McKenney has been unwell for the past week and reports in Italy suggest he is struggling with muscle fatigue.

Pulisic was not injured, but “he came a bit tired,” Pochettino said on Friday. “He's playing every single game, every single minute, for AC Milan” – which, Pochettino said, has him and his staff “a bit worried.”

So, Pochettino made the kind of decision that a coach of lesser stature would not make in his first month in charge of a national team; He played the long game.

Pochettino stressed that “getting in the best shape for the World Cup will be a priority,” as he said in his introductory press conference. And any friendly 20 months out, regardless of the opponent, will have a significant impact on their status in June 2026.

What will impact is Pulisic's fitness. “When we really need him, he has to be in form, happy, strong,” Pochettino said last week. “Because he has a lot of talent, he's a great player.”

So he allowed Pulisic to return to Milan, a decision that not only managed his physical and emotional burden, but also built trust between the player, the national team and the club.

Pochettino also took off Anthony Robinson, perhaps the USMNT's second most reliable player, at halftime of Tuesday's game.

After holding McKenney out of Saturday's game, he talked about “protecting” McKenney. “We didn't want to take the risk,” Pochettino said.

Neither should he.

But the result — the first loss to Mexico since a 2019 friendly, one of the early low points of the Greg Berhalter era — was nonetheless hard to stomach.

And the performance was one of the USMNT's worst in two years — especially the opposition, under pressure and a disorganized Mexico team.

That exposed the lack of depth in the U.S. player pool behind Pulisic and McKenney — and Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, Sergino Dest, Chris Richards and Gio Reyna, all of whom are injured.

It also offered a timely reminder – despite the enthusiasm surrounding Pochettino, the new boss a lot to work