USMNT vs. Portugal: What to look for in final match before World Cup roster selection

Increased intensity

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino began his soccer career as a high-energy Argentinian defender, and his experiences as a player shaped his coaching style around one key idea: intensity.

"Watch football," he told the press at the USMNT's Atlanta training camp. "If you watch the game against France and Colombia [a friendly match that took place on Sunday], that is intensity. You can win or you can lose, but do you think the coach of Colombia losing the game is going to complain about some player? They played like it was the final of the World Cup.

"And France, when they saw the intensity and the aggression of Colombia, they said, 'If we aren't intense, they'll kill us.' That's intensity."

For Pochettino, it was a lack of consistent intensity that doomed the USMNT against Belgium, and that means intensity will be the name of the game in this match against Portugal. If the USMNT can keep its physicality and mental fortitude throughout 90 minutes of pressure, it will send an important message about its World Cup readiness regardless of whether it wins, loses or draws.

A healthy dose of pragmatism

There's a lot riding on this match for both the USMNT and Portugal, but Portugal coach Roberto Martinez was quick to lower the stakes when he spoke to the media in advance of the clash. 

"You should never assess teams in March," Martinez said. "The reason is the teams come together after being five months away, the last time you worked together was November.

"If I can give you a little bit of my experience, it's don't take too much into your assessments and evaluations in March because they are quite worthless."

For Martinez, that means not panicking over his famous attack's inability to break down an average Mexico side at the Azteca; for the USMNT, that means not panicking over its much-improved defense falling apart against a strong Belgium side in Atlanta.

Martinez is correct here. There will be plenty to dig into when the whistle blows on the USMNT-Portugal game, but all of it should be processed with the caveat of March soccer. It's been a while. These teams haven't played together in months. The highs and lows are equally deceptive in months like this one.

The USMNT will take on Portugal on Tuesday in Atlanta. This match will be the team's last before it announces its official World Cup roster at the end of May.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.