Mauricio_pochettino_-_asn_top_-_september_2026
Morning update

USMNT prepares for Mexico, U-20s fall to Brazil, McKenzie to Philly announced, and more

ASN gives a run down of Friday's news in the world of American soccer, starting with the USMNT getting ready to face Mexico
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 02, 2026
9:50 AM

THE LONG INTERNATIONAL window rolls on and ASN is here to update you with the latest happenings from the U.S. national team’s preparations for Mexico, several U.S. youth teams are in action, a few MLS games took place, while Mark McKenzie’s long-awaited deal was finally announced.

 

USMNT set for Mexico

 

The United States national team is currently in Arizona ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Mexico. It is the most high-profile and important of the four friendlies the team will be playing this window.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been eager to work in many young newcomers into the first two games but he might opt for a more veteran presence in the starting lineup given the challenging environment.

That doesn’t mean, however, that a few of the Olympic-eligible players might get the start in a regional rival. There are not many alternatives to Justin Ellis or Julian Hall at center forward and Diego Kochen might get a chance in goal given the uncertainty in that position.

Cavan Sullivan is the biggest wildcard because he has had the most attention during this camp and has played well.

Antonee Robinson summed it up well.

“Any situation whenever we play Mexico whether it's a qualifier, a friendly, Gold Cup, Nations League - it's always seen as a must win game,” Robinson said. “It's a cup final. We have a lot of boys who have never experienced that at this level and who get to experience it for the first time. It's going to be an adverse crowd and tough conditions to play in, but it is something we embrace and thrive in.”

 

U-20 team loses to Brazil

 

The United States U-20 team played its first of two friendlies this international window in Spain and dropped a 2-0 decision to Brazil.

Brazil has been the team to beat in this gathering at the Pinatar Arena in Spain as earlier in the week, the South Americans crushed Denmark 4-1.

The U.S. team was captained by Seattle Sounders midfielder Snyder Brunell, who was not released for the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in July/August.  

The U.S. team will next face Denmark on Sunday.

The U.S. U-20 starting XI today against Brazil in Spain

Brazil smashed Denmark 4-1 earlier in the week pic.twitter.com/7Eph68Kolu

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) October 1, 2026


 

Other YNT results

 

In other results for the U.S. youth nationals teams.

The U.S. U-17 (2010) team opened its Pinatar Arena camp with a 4-1 win over Scotland with the U.S. goals scored by Kaeden McDowell (twice), Jamil Danjaji, William Recupero. In the second game, the U.S. defeated the Netherlands 2-1 with goals from Paxon Ruffin and Luca Antongirolami before losing to Belgium 4-1 on Thursday with Landon Lucero scoring the team’s only goal.

The 2009 U-17 team played Ireland to a 1-1 draw with the U.S. team’s going scored by Deven Cadigan.

The United States U-19 team defeated Wales 2-0 in Marbella with the U.S. goals coming via an own goal followed by Brandon Dayes.

 

Midweek MLS

 

There were two midweek games this week.

On Wednesday, St. Louis CITY easily got past Red Bull New York 3-0 with the Red Bulls without several players due to international duty. Julian Hall and Adri Mehetmi are two starters now with the U.S. national team. But the team was also missing Matthew Dos Santos, Mijahir Jimenez, Rafael Mosquera, David Ruiz, Omar Valencia, Tobias Szewczyk, and Ronald Donkar.

On Wednesday, the Seattle Sounders got past last-place Sporting Kansas City 2-1 with several American players having a key role in the win. Cristian Roldan opened the scoring for Seattle followed by young American winger Sebastian Gomez, 20, who could contend for a spot on the Olympic team. The same is true with Seattle’s central defender Stuart Hawkins who also started in the win.

In a friendly in Washington, DC, German Bundesliga club SC Paderborn defeated DC United 1-0 with the only goal coming late in the first half via a penalty.

Santiago Castaneda, 21, played 58 minutes in defensive midfield for the German club. The game became more wide-open in the second half with both teams generating many chances from the run of play, but neither team able to finish.

 

LAFC names interim

 

After firing head coach Marc Dos Santos last week, LAFC named Xavi Tamrit as the interim head coach. He will now guide LAFC for the remainder of the season.

Per the release: “Tamarit joined the club in January, bringing more than two decades’ worth of elite coaching experience in some of the world’s most competitive leagues, including the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Argentina’s top division. A UEFA Pro and CONMEBOL Pro License holder, Tamarit completed his postgraduate studies in high-performance football at the University of Porto and has authored multiple books on the subject.”

 

McKenzie to Philadelphia announced

 

United States national team defender Mark McKenzie, 27, is returning home to the Philadelphia Union. This has been reported for a long time but was finally announced on Thursday.

McKenzie began his career with the Union before leaving after the 2020 MLS Season to join Genk in the Netherlands. In 2023 he moved to Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1 where it has consistently finished in the middle of the table.

There are a lot of theories why McKenzie is returning home at this point in his career. He moved to Ligue 1 and has found a home at a midtable club. But after three years without contending for Europe or facing relegation threats, he likely wanted a different challenge – and that is with a Union team that is very different than the one he left.  

“Philadelphia has always been home to me,” McKenzie said. “This club, this community, and these fans have played such an important role in shaping who I am, both as a player and as a person,” said McKenzie. “When I left, I did so with the goal of challenging myself at the highest levels in Europe and representing my country, but no matter where my career has taken me, I’ve always carried Philadelphia and the Union with me. To now have the opportunity to come home, wear this badge again, and help build on the success of this club is incredibly meaningful. I’m grateful for everything this journey has given me, and I couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter, to reconnect with the city, my teammates, and our supporters, and to get to work in January.”

He will now get to work alongside Neil Pierre, the 18-year-old central defender who is one of the league’s more promising players in that position. Pierre is currently in camp with the U.S. national team.

 

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