So far this international break, it's been relatively smooth sailing for the USMNT. While there are defensive issues, the goalscoring has still been there; such was proven on Tuesday when the Americans handed Chile a 4-2 loss in St. Louis.
But now, things are going to get tougher. The USMNT concludes its September-October international window with friendlies against Mexico and then Canada; alongside the United States, both nations make up the final two-thirds of CONCACAF's top-three teams.
Here is everything you need to know about Saturday's match, from how to watch it to the keys to success.
The basics
The match will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona; the stadium is the home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and the annual Fiesta Bowl. State Farm Stadium has previously hosted six USMNT matches; they have a 3-2-1 record (wins - draws - losses) through those six contests.
Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (7:00 p.m. local time). The match will be broadcast on TNT, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo, Peacock (for Spanish-language broadcasting), Westwood One Sports, and Fútbol de Primera.
USMNT vs Mexico - a brief history
Recent history has seen the USMNT and Mexico make up two-thirds of a three-way battle for supremacy in CONCACAF. In fact, three of the last four CONCACAF Gold Cup Finals have seen the two countries do battle, with Mexico winning two of those three finals. But the Nations League has seen a completely different story unfold; the USMNT has beaten Mexico in both of their head-to-head encounters in the Nations League Final.
While Mexico leads the head-to-head series by a whopping margin - they've earned 38 wins to the USMNT's 17 - two of the results earned by the USMNT against Mexico have come at State Farm Stadium. The United States earned a 2-0 win against Mexico on February 7, 2007, in what was the stadium's first international football contest; sixteen years later, the USMNT would earn a 1-1 draw with Mexico at the venue.
What to expect this time around
Both teams are entering new eras to some extent.
The roster shake-up that the USMNT put together prior to this international window is already fresh in the minds of those who follow the team. But Mexico has seen a bit of a youth revolution themselves, which was made apparent at the last World Cup. Gilberto Mora is one of those players. Of course, the 17-year-old midfielder only recently scored his first international goal, despite already having 13 appearances with the national team.
🇲🇽🪄 Mexican wonderkid Gilberto Mora scored his first senior international goal last night… and it’s fair to say the local commentators enjoyed this one. 😂🎙️ pic.twitter.com/JWMFCAwKHV
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) September 27, 2026
Even though the U.S. and Mexico are likely to meet during the CONCACAF Nations League knockout round, this match could give the winning side the upper hand in that game. The USMNT would love to give its young squad a confidence boost for that game. As for Mexico, they enter this game on the heels of a not-so-great-for-their-standards start to the international window, settling for consecutive 1-1 draws against Colombia and Peru.
Let's also add that there aren't that many opportunities for the United States to take on Mexico outside of continental tournaments. With the USMNT flying considerably higher to some capacity, they have to enter Saturday's game with the only objective being a sound victory.
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