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USMNT forward Christian Pulisic. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

USMNT vs. Portugal: Key takeaways from a spirited showing against the world's best

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 9:20 PM ET

Atlanta — The United States Men's National Team fell 0-2 to Portugal in its final friendly match before its official World Cup send-off this summer.

While the loss was disappointing, the team's performance was a step above what it put in three days ago against Belgium.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino opted for several lineup changes in order to contain Portugal. Here are the key takeaways from his team's decent effort against one of the World Cup favorites.

A daring midfield shuffle largely paid off

Ask anyone in the know which players make up the USMNT's best midfield and you'll hear some pretty similar answers. Tyler Adams. Johnny Cardoso. Tanner Tessmann. Weston McKennie, maybe, when he's sitting deep.

What you won't hear, at least not often, is the relatively unheralded pairing of Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter, whose greatest contribution to the USMNT narrative up to this point is this glorious dance sequence from their Columbus Crew academy days.

And yet. Morris and Berhalter were the midfielders Pochettino trusted against Portugal, and they repaid his trust by putting in a blinding first-half performance that kept the game far more even than it should've been. They're not great upfield passers — you need someone like Adams for that — but Morris and Berhalter are excellent enforcers, and they ceded much of the center of the park to Portugal just to make sure Portugal never made it out of there unscathed.

It worked. The two had obvious chemistry together and they were able to keep a handle on Portugal's world-class duo of Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha for much of the match. Their success here was a sobering reminder that the USMNT's best 11 isn't always the one with the best European pedigree. Sometimes, those two crazy kids from Ohio are exactly what you need.

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Defense improved, but not enough

The center-back trio of Alex Freeman, Chris Richards and Auston Trusty put in a strong showing against Portugal...but not across all metrics. When Portugal was on the move, they were fabulous, cutting off passes and limiting spaces to keep Portugal's famous attack at bay. When Portugal was stationary, though — often during set plays or calm moments — their positioning left quite a bit to be desired.

Portugal's first goal came from the trio not catching Trincao lurking on the edge of the box, and its second came from the trio leaving Joao Felix open in exactly the same space. Both were silly goals to concede, and they were made far sillier by their repetitive nature.

If these three are the USMNT's strongest defensive lineup (and they very well might be), then they'll have to buckle down on man marking in the months before the World Cup begins. Australia, Paraguay and Türkiye — the USMNT's group-stage opponents — all trade heavily in momentum-stopping set pieces.

Christian Pulisic isn't telling us the truth

When Christian Pulisic faced the media at the beginning of this camp, he cut a rather spiky figure. As question after question about the pressure of the World Cup came his way, he shook his head and smiled with a steely glint in his eye.

"I mean, you guys want me to feel the pressure, that's for sure," he chuckled, barely hiding his irritation. "I'm used to this. I wouldn't want to be in any other position."

Perhaps, but Pulisic spent much of his 45 minutes against Portugal looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. The AC Milan attacker hasn't scored for the USMNT since 2024 and his lack of national team fitness was evident from the opening minute. He earned a silly yellow card for taking down a Portuguese player in their own penalty box; he ruined one of the USMNT's best attacks by standing in an offside position while his teammates schemed on the flank.

When you're in a funk on the field, the least you can do is win your duels, but Pulisic couldn't even pull that off. He won just one of his seven individual battles with Portugal, making him one of the least effective interceptors on the night.

Pochettino yanked Pulisic at halftime in favor of NCAA prospect Patrick Agyemang. It wasn't intended as a message — Pochettino was always going to play as many attackers as possible in this match — but it certainly wound up feeling like one.

The USMNT is set to confirm its World Cup roster on Tuesday, May 26. It will return to action against Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, May 31.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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