USA head into Mexico clash with Chile tension still simmering: "nobody walks in thinking it's a friendly"

Nobody in Phoenix is calling this a "friendly" this week. Antonee Robinson made that clear before Thursday's training session: Saturday's match against Mexico feels like, plays like and is lived like a genuine rivalry game, no matter what the schedule says.

The left back, who captained the US men's national team for the first time in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Chile, has already told the younger players in the group that what happened at the end of that match was only a preview. He's not exaggerating: after the final whistle there was a confrontation on the field after Leandro Hernandez kicked goalkeeper Brian Schwake while he was on the ground holding the ball. Tempers flared so badly that head coach Mauricio Pochettino himself had to step in to calm things down.

Robinson doesn't see it as an isolated incident, but as the very essence of facing El Tri.

Ever since the first time I played against Mexico, it's always been the same. It doesn't matter if it's World Cup qualifying or a friendly, Nations League or Gold Cup, it's always a fierce competition. You want to win. It feels very personal, and you want to be the one who comes out on top. I'd say it's a derby in that sense.Antonee Robinson

He added something that sums up the atmosphere expected on Saturday: "Nobody walks into this thinking it's a friendly."

It's no coincidence that he's the one saying it. Mexico has won the last two meetings between the two sides, including the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final. So there's more than pride on the line for the United States.

A rivalry that doesn't care about context

Sergiño Dest, who was sent off in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League semifinal (a match the USMNT won 3-0), agrees that this matchup carries a different flavor than any other.

I feel like it's the real culture and real passion of soccer. Rivalries between teams in general are always amazing to watch. And this is one of them too. Playing against Mexico is one of the best games there is here. And yeah, it's going to be a tough game. Sometimes there will be friction, sometimes there won't.Sergiño Dest

Dest was also clear about what it means to play at home: "But we're playing at home, so we have to show our passion back to them too, and that we're a great team, and that they can be aggressive against us because we have a great brotherhood."

The curious part is that despite the match being played on US soil, a majority of Mexican fans are expected in the stands. Far from intimidating Robinson, that's part of the challenge for the newer faces in the group: of the 28 players called up for this window, 13 arrived without senior national team experience, and 12 of them have already taken the field against Peru or Chile.

"There was a flash of the fire that teams like that can bring at the end of the Chile game," Robinson said. "So we've told the young guys to expect that and a lot more when we play against Mexico." The defender said he hopes the newcomers "embrace it, enjoy it and are ready to fight for it."

Dest, for his part, preferred to focus on composure: "The only thing I can help them with is to stay calm and trust all the skills they've trained for all these years, and just show what they've got, because that's what we need."

At Thursday's training session, open to the press, 27 of the 28 called-up players took part normally. The only absence was goalkeeper Chris Brady, who was substituted at halftime against Chile and was limited to separate gym work.

Following the match against Mexico, the United States will close out the September/October international window with a game against Canada on October 6.