USMNT v Portugal live – Updates and analysis from international friendly | USA
Key events
The national anthems are done, the teams are lined up … let’s play some ball.
“Wave your flags” says the PA announcer. And indeed, the fans in attendance wave small flags with the US Soccer logo on them. Feels like maybe regular American flags would have been more inspiring a visual!
It’s very loud. Brad Guzan is yelling at me. Help.
Of the 27 initial selections for Pochettino’s March squad, 18 made one of his starting line-ups. The neglected nine are as follows:
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Patrick Schulte
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Chris Brady
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Joe Scally
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Max Arfsten
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Brenden Aaronson
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Cristian Roldan
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Gio Reyna
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Patrick Agyemang
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Ricardo Pepi
The goalkeepers won’t have expected a start. Arfsten cedes as Antonee Robinson starts back-to-back, understandable as he missed 2025 entirely for the US. Roldan seems poised to be the backup defensive midfielder, and Patrick Agyemang a natural change-of-pace striker from the bench. Aaronson, Reyna, and Pepi will be the ones most sweating their chances come squad selection, as alternatives like Diego Luna and Haji Wright weren’t available for this window.
Jeff Rueter
Jeff Rueter’s analysis
The United States did some good things in a loss to Belgium, but overall they looked disjointed and unrehearsed
Those lowlands!
In the last 12 years of US soccer, defining moments have come against countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, who have outclassed the Americans at key points.
Leander Schaerlaeckens’ column:
From Jeff Rueter: It’s tough to resist rampant speculation on the back of this final lineup before Pochettino picks his squad. Morris and Berhalter, former academy teammates in Columbus, will be desperate to show the requisite bite and midfield moderation to make their cases for World Cup inclusion. Clearly there’s some desperation to get Pulisic back among the goals if he’s serving as a nominal line-leader.
US fans ought to hope Alex Freeman puts in a shift that keeps him in the lineup. Whether he’s right-most of three center-backs or a right back (or wing back), he’s been a staple of the team’s best performances in recent windows.
Via Pablo Iglesias Maurer: It’s about an hour before kickoff and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is already filling in quite a bit. One thing was made abundantly clear on the walk over here – this will be a much taller task for the US in terms of the crowd, which is 50/50 rooting interests at best and perhaps even pro-Portugal. Belgian fans were hard to come by on Saturday, when the US got thrashed anyways.
Via the FotMob lineup builder, this one (not very likely) possibility for how the US could line up tonight.
The lineups are in
The USMNT will line up this way
Matt Freese; Antonee Robinson, Auston Trusty, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman; Weston McKennie, Aidan Morris, Sebastian Berhalterl; Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah
If you’re wondering who the striker is in that lineup, well, that’s the same question we’re asking up in the press box.
Either way, with that personnel it’s almost certainly another four-man backline, unless Weston McKennie or Tim Weah fill one of the wingback spots in a five-man look as they have done with their club teams.
In the center of defense, this will be the first time Richards and Trusty have played together for the USMNT. Richards makes his return after missing the Belgium game with a knee problem picked up on Europa League duty with Crystal Palace.
Much to discuss!
In Saturday’s game, the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks and a confusing light-on-light kit matchup created a difficult situation on and off the field:
Turkey qualifies, will play USMNT
Full-time has been called on the Turkey v Kosovo playoff game in Kosovo, with Turkey winning 1-0. That places them as the final team in the United States’ World Cup group – the US will play Turkey on 25 June.
This means that the United States will have played all three of their World Cup group opponents in friendlies in 2025. Is that a good or a bad thing?
Things are getting interesting in the other big European playoff…..
Meanwhile, in Europe …
Turkey is up 1-0 over Kosovo in the playoff match that will determine the United States’ final group opponent. About 15 minutes left in Kosovo. Follow it here:
Pablo Iglesias Maurer
Last time out …
Here’s what happened in the United States’ first game of the window, a 5-2 loss to Belgium that put a dent in pre-World Cup momentum
Preamble
Hello and welcome. Alexander will be around shortly to guide you through this window-ending friendly for the US.
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