USMNT dominated in shutout loss to Mexico

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez scored in the first half, Erick Gutierrez and Uriel Antuna had late goals four minutes apart and Mexico defeated the U.S. men's national team 3-0 in a friendly at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday.

Hernandez made it 1-0 in the 21st minute; Gutierrez scored his first international goal in the 78th after just entering the match, and Antuna on the counter extended the lead to 3-0 in the 82nd.

Adding insult, U.S. forward Joshua Sargent's penalty kick -- the foul was drawn by Jordan Morris -- was saved by Jonathan Orozco in the 88th minute.

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The countries played for the first time since Mexico won 1-0 in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Chicago on July 7.

U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter said he saw some positives from Friday's seemingly lopsided loss. 

"From my perspective I'm happier about this game than the Gold Cup final," he said. "In the Gold Cup final, I felt like all we did was play the ball long. That was our only solution. Now, at least we're trying to play the way we envision."

"The message for the group is use this as an opportunity to continue to grow."

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The match was the first of two warmups for the Americans in advance of the CONCACAF Nations League next month. The U.S. plays Uruguay in St. Louis on Tuesday.

"To me, it's a great example to the guys to keep working, keep pushing, keep making progress," Berhalter said. "At least today, I saw guys who wanted to keep trying.

"We made some mistakes but it wasn't critical. It was a time to keep going, keep learning what they group is about. To me, it was a valuable exercise."

Sergino Dest, the Netherlands-born 18-year-old defender, had an auspicious debut for the U.S. senior squad. He had a bending shot from outside the box in the 14th minute that was saved by Orozco but was victimized on Mexico's first goal.

Jesus "Tecatito" Corona beat Christian Pulisic on the dribble on the right flank then nutmegged Dest as he entered the penalty area before the on-target service to Hernandez for his 52nd goal from an unmarked 8-yard header.

Dest, who plays for the Dutch club Ajax, was part of a starting lineup that averaged 24 years, 150 days, the youngest for the U.S. this year.

"I'm so proud of the guy," Berhalter said of Dest's play. "Did he make some mistakes? Of course. But I can't be more proud of a guy who goes out and tries things."

Gutierrez doubled the lead thanks to a horrendous pass from U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffan straight to Hector Herrera, who passed to Gutierrez.

The U.S. almost cut the deficit in half in the 80th when Alfredo Morales put a shot off the right post, but the Mexicans took advantage of the Americans throwing everything forward and added a third goal.

Friday's final score was the worst loss for the United States against their regional rival since a 5-0 loss in the 2009 Gold Cup final.

Information from ESPN FC reporter Noah Davis and Reuters was used in this report.