The United States beat Mexico 3-0 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, adding another painful chapter to El Tri’s history against its Concacaf rival. Julian Hall, Cavan Sullivan and Malik Tillman scored the goals. The result was Mauricio Pochettino’s first victory over Mexico since taking charge of the United States, and it was Mexico’s first defeat under Rafael Márquez, whose tenure had begun with two draws against Colombia and Peru. Defensive errors condemned the Mexican side.
Hall opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Sullivan then took advantage of a mistake by Mexican goalkeeper José Rangel to score from long distance, and Tillman sealed the match in the closing stages. The second goal carried particular historical weight: Sullivan, at 17 years and five days old, became the youngest player to score for the United States men’s national team. The Philadelphia Union player intercepted a pass from Rangel and scored from about 30 meters. The record came just a few days after Mathias Albert had become the previous youngest scorer for the USMNT, and Sullivan needed only one match to take it.
There was another teenager on the scoresheet. Julian Hall, 18, opened the scoring and notched his third goal in his first three appearances for the U.S. national team. For the first time, two teenagers scored for the United States in the same match against Mexico.
The 3-0 in Arizona matched the second-largest goal margin by the United States over Mexico, with the 4-0 in 1995 remaining the harshest blow. To find the biggest United States rout over Mexico, you have to go back to June 18, 1995. In that U.S. Cup, played in Washington, D.C., the U.S. team won 4-0 with goals from Roy Wegerle, Thomas Dooley, John Harkes and Claudio Reyna. The Arizona scoreline fell just short of that result.
The 3-0 in 2026 was the fourth United States victory over Mexico by a three-goal margin, after the 4-0 in 1995 and the other two 3-0 wins in 2000 and 2023. The first of those precedents came in the 2000 U.S. Cup, when the United States defeated Mexico 3-0 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Brian McBride, Frankie Hejduk and Ante Razov scoring. The next came in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League semifinals, when Christian Pulisic scored twice and Ricardo Pepi completed the 3-0 in Las Vegas. In 2026, the United States repeated the scoreline.
Much further back is another result that forms part of the rivalry’s history. On May 24, 1934, the United States defeated Mexico 4-2 in Rome in the qualifying match for the World Cup in Italy. Aldo “Buff” Donelli was the standout figure of that day, scoring all four American goals, while Dionisio Mejía and Manuel Alonso pulled two back for Mexico. It was the first meeting between the two national teams in a World Cup qualifier. On goal difference, however, that match ranks behind the four games in which the United States won by three goals.
The 4-0 in 1995 remains the high-water mark of the rivalry, and the three 3-0 wins in 2000, 2023 and 2026 now share the next rung. Arizona therefore left behind more than just another American victory. El Tri once again suffered one of the harshest blows in its history against its Concacaf rival, and this time the protagonists were a generation of young Americans.