Mauricio Pochettino is many things. He's not a magician. There was no magic or magic he could give this U.S. Men's National Team to make it perfect. If you didn't think that before, it definitely becomes clear to you now.

Ultimately, the undermanned USMNT lacked the wherewithal to compete with their bitter rivals. Thump magic or not, Thump magic, this was Mexico's night from bell to bell.

El Tri won 2-0 at the Estadio Akron on Tuesday night, and in reality it wasn't even that close. Against a USMNT group that was missing seven starters – including team leader Christian Pulisic – Mexico showed no mercy. This was their chance to end five years of frustration, beat their rivals for the first time since 2019 and take their frustration out on a USMNT group that felt like the proverbial deer in headlights.

Raul Jimenez's stunning free kick midway through the first half opened the scoring, but in reality that wasn't all the story told. A free kick is an individual moment, but this game was one of team-wide dominance. Mexico beat the USMNT 16-5. They almost doubled their passing performance in the opposition half. The USMNT had fewer than a dozen touches of the ball in the Mexican penalty area. That paints a picture of how one-sided it was.

When Cesar Huerta's goal found the back of the net just four minutes after halftime, it seemed like there was no turning back for the USMNT. Whatever Pochettino's half-time speech, Pochettino's game immediately became meaningless as Mexico collectively celebrated their 2-0 lead. There was the infamous “Dos a Cero” again, but this time it went in the other direction.

A tough lesson to be sure, but one that comes at the right time for the USMNT. The shine wore off a bit on Tuesday night in Guadalajara as he earned a 2-0 win over Panama in his USMNT debut. And it resulted in a match that will leave Pochettino with about as many questions as answers.

GOAL evaluates USMNT players from Estadio Akron.