The United States suffered its second consecutive defeat on Tuesday, falling 2-0 to Portugal during a friendly match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, wrapping up the March international window.
This marks the eighth straight loss for the U.S. against European teams.
Francisco Trincão scored the opening goal in the first half, followed by João Félix, who netted an impressive volley from the penalty area in the second half, stemming from a set piece.
Prior to this matchup, the Americans faced a heavy 5-2 defeat against Belgium on Saturday, as they prepared for Mauricio Pochettino to announce his World Cup squad on May 26.
The U.S. coach made six alterations to the lineup from the game against Belgium, with Christian Pulisic taking on a central position at the tip of Pochettino’s formation. Unfortunately, this tactical change did not help Pulisic break his scoring drought, leading to his substitution at halftime after failing to score for the eighth consecutive match with the national team. Additionally, he hasn’t found the net for club team AC Milan since December 28.
Portugal played without two key stars, Cristiano Ronaldo due to injury and Bernardo Silva, who was absent from the March roster. Nonetheless, Roberto Martinez’s squad displayed significant talent and kept the U.S. from gaining any momentum. Aside from a few long-range attempts, the U.S. struggled to create clear scoring opportunities.
Matthew Freese started in goal for the U.S., stepping in for Matt Turner, who played against Belgium. Freese made several crucial saves that prevented the scoreline from becoming even more lopsided.
Pochettino has a couple more warm-up matches lined up for the U.S. ahead of the World Cup, facing Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6.
The U.S. is set to kick off Group D play at the World Cup on June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, followed by matches against Australia and Türkiye in their pursuit to advance to the knockout stage.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.