The United States men’s national team slumped to a 2-0 loss against Portugal in a friendly at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday.
After a competitive start to the match for both sides, the visitors eventually took the lead in the 37th minute when Francisco Trincão slotted a shot past American goalkeeper Matt Freese. In response, the U.S. continued its attacking pressure but ultimately failed to capitalize on any of their opportunities by the midway break.
After halftime, Portugal doubled their lead. In the 59th minute, João Félix hit a perfectly timed ball from outside of the box that made it 2-0 in their favor. Portugal grew in confidence after several substitutions in the second half, and despite not finding the back of the net again, their efforts were enough to secure the 2-0 scoreline by the final whistle.
U.S coach Mauricio Pochettino and his roster will now begin final preparations for this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. Pochettino is expected to announce the roster for his squad for the tournament in May.
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Manager rating out of 10
Mauricio Pochettino, 5 — Glass half full: The U.S. was dynamic after making six changes from its previous XI and created a number of chances in the final third. Glass half empty: The decision to start Christian Pulisic as a striker proved to be the incorrect one, and amid his poor performance, the team wasn’t as efficient as it needed to be in the attack.
There were brief moments of magic for the USMNT that had an exciting start to the friendly, but it’s also strange timing for Pochettino to experiment in the last game before he selects his World Cup roster.
Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK Matt Freese, 6 — There was little he could do to halt Portugal’s two goals, but he allowed those shots to go in nonetheless. An early save from a Bruno Fernandes attempt, and denying a powerful shot from Nuno Mendes in the second half, will go down in his highlight reel.
DF Antonee Robinson, 6 — Not bad defensively, looked dangerous going forward, and also launched a thunderous shot from distance. He wasn’t as involved as he was in his previous game, but he still highlighted why he’s a starter for the U.S.
DF Auston Trusty, 5 — First time playing alongside Chris Richards in the heart of defense, and it initially showed. His positioning was suspect in the early stages, and he could have done better with the first Portugal goal, but he did notably make defensive improvements by the second half.
DF Chris Richards, 6 — After the captain made an early mistake with a mistimed pass, he quickly stepped up with a strong presence in the backline. It wasn’t a perfect 90-plus minutes, but his interventions helped keep the opponents to just two goals.
DF Alex Freeman, 7 — The youngest member of the XI might have just solidified a place in the starting roster. Freeman made great runs forward, provided eye-catching tackles and dribbled the ball with ease in the final third.
MF Sebastian Berhalter, 5 — A decent all-around game for the midfielder, who struggled to keep pace with Portugal at times. A shot from distance highlighted his early confidence, as did some lofted passes forward.
MF Aidan Morris, 4 — Morris left space open for Portugal to create their first goal and notably jogged back when he could have stopped Trincao. His tackles and distributions looked better as the game went along, but the error was a major one for the USMNT.
AM Timothy Weah, 5 — Weah was occasionally involved in the pressing of the opponent, but it was clear that more was expected of the winger, who needed to be proactive. Won just one of his five duels.
AM Malik Tillman, 7 — A promising evening for the young player. He was highly active with his key passes, chance creation and clever movement with the ball. The energetic starter was arguably the best American on the field.
AM Weston McKennie, 5 — Connected well with the front line and won a crucial foul in a dangerous area. At times he went quiet in the first 45 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to drop his stock as a key figure for the USMNT.
FW Christian Pulisic, 3 — Highlighted by his frustration that led to an unnecessary yellow card, it was an off night for the attacker, who had questionable decision-making playing as a striker. Despite the fact that it wasn’t his natural position, he failed to take advantage of his chances.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
FW Patrick Agyemang, 7 — A better focal point in the striker position than Pulisic. Helped win the ball back and dished out a couple of eye-catching passes in the final third.
DF Max Arfsten, 5 — His passing could have been better on the left flank, and it’s difficult to say he’s a better option over Robinson at left back.
MF Tanner Tessmann, 5 — Not bad going forward with the ball, though more was expected of him defensively.
DF Joe Scally, 4 — Didn’t make much of an impact in his limited time on the pitch.
FW Folarin Balogun, 5 — Like Scally, he didn’t have much time to make his stamp on the match, but he did provide a couple of good passes and runs.
MF Cristian Roldan, N/A — Subbed on in 79th minute.
AM Gio Reyna, N/A — Subbed on in 79th minute.
AM Brenden Aaronson, N/A — Subbed on in 79th minute.
DF Mark McKenzie, N/A — Subbed on in the 91st minute.