B.J. Callaghan will have his hands full when the U.S. men's national team take on rivals Mexico in the Nations League semifinal on June 15.
Despit being part of the organization for a while, Callaghan was just recently promoted to temporary head coach after ex-interim manager Anthony Hudson left the USMNT to take on an opportunity with Qatar outfit Al-Markhiya. And in terms of debuts, they don't get much bigger than Callaghan's against El Tri as the longtime assistant turned interim head coach attempts to qualify for the final and earn his first piece of silverware.
But instead of incendiary comments, Callaghan opted for respect when addressing the media about their opponent.
"I can only reiterate that we have great respect for Mexico," declared Callaghan.
"We had the opportunity to play against them in April, and we were very, very impressed with some of the new things that they're trying, some of the style. We're aware that from a competitive and an aggressive standpoint, we can expect them to play with high intensity; they have great individual players that can make plays."
Callaghan will look to rely on Christian Pulisic, Walker Zimmerman, Tim Weah and newcomer Folarin Balogun, who recently made the one-time switch from the England national team to the USMNT.
The USA will head into the match attempting to defend their title, after winning the first ever edition of the CONCACAF Nations League by triumphing 3-2 in the final over Mexico in 2021.
The U.S. are currently riding a five game unbeaten streak against Mexico (three wins, two draws) and hope to make it six straight to reach the Nations League final. The winner of USA-Mexico will take on the victor of Panama-Canada in the final on July 18.
This article was originally published on 90min as B.J. Callaghan hails Mexico ahead of Nations League showdown.
