With just 71 days until the World Cup begins, the USA faced Portugal for its final friendly until June. Coming off of a poor second half against Belgium, the Americans once again looked to earn a win against a top European team. In the end, it was yet another promising start for the USA just to end in a disappointing result as goals from Trincão and João Félix sealed a 2-0 defeat for the Stars and Stripes.
The USA lined up in a formation set up nominally as a 4-3-3 with Christian Pulisic playing false
9 with Tim Weah attacking from the right, Malik Tillman coming in at the left and Wes McKennie having free reign to come in from midfield and do whatever he wanted.
If there were questions about a hangover from the second half of the Belgium game, the team answered quickly that there weren’t and started the match on the front foot. Until the 23rd minute hydration break, the USA had the better of the chances with Portugal dominating possession but without much to show for it.
The water break couldn’t have come soon enough for the visitors who were not making the most of their time on the ball and looked to be on track to repeat their solid but ultimately fruitless showing against Mexico.
That wouldn’t be the case though as the USA put together a promising attacking move capped off by a shot that went just wide of the net from Pulisic. On the ensuing goal kick, Bruno Fernandes ran onto a ball sent into the box and laid it off with a backheeled pass for Trincão. The attacker sent his shot past Matt Freese to make it 1-0 in the 36th minute.
The Americans searched for an equalizer but could only blame themselves for the score line as the half ended 1-0. While the team wasn’t lacking in chances, there wasn’t a true 9 to finish them.
The Blue, Blue, and Blue would make several changes to begin the half along with Pulisic coming off for Patrick Agyemeng, McKennie making way for Tanner Tessmann, and Antonee Robinson being replaced by Max Arfsten. For their part, Portugal made seven changes which promised to completely change the tone of the game along with any broad strokes that could be brushed on it upon its conclusion.
Then in the 59th minute Portugal scored on a corner when the ball was played to João Félix at the top of the box who fired in a shot past Freese. The Al Nasser forward celebrated with a classic pretending to sleep motion as the USA fell behind 2-0.
Whatever ability the USA had to play the ball through the midfield and do much of anything threatening in the first 45 had evaporated in the second half. When the Americans did push into the Portugal defensive area the team was quickly dispossessed resulting in a Portugal counter. The second hydration break couldn’t come soon enough for the USA as the team looked to be on track to repeat their decent first half and less decent second half against Belgium.
Bringing in Folarin Balogun for Weah and Joe Scally in place of Alex Freeman in the 67th minute didn’t do much to help in midfield. That changed a little after Gio Reyna came in for Freeman, Cristian Roldan came in for Aidan Morris, and Brenden Aaronson was brought in for Sebastian Berhalter and the Americans began to find more of the ball. That wouldn’t be enough though as the game wound down and Portugal came away with a 2-0 win as the final whistle blew.
For the most part, the result can be attributed to a bad play in midfield for the first goal, nobody in a blue shirt putting away chances in the attacking third, and a second half that devolved thanks to substitutions. The sloppy passing sequence in midfield leading to the first goal happened in a place where there was a Tyler Adams sized hole that the USA simply cannot afford to have present in the summer. Luckily there is a bit over two months remaining for the team to get healthy and make needed adjustments before the World Cup begins.
