major events
35 minutes: Another missed chance from Pulisic. Alex Freeman makes a good run into the box and passes to Pulisic, who fires inches wide of the near post from 25 yards.
Reader Dan contacts…
At the risk of USMNT irreverence, it seems Pulisic has been the biggest problem for the US in the final third in both games. He seems to be out of rhythm with his shooting and his passes.
I don’t know of many American fans out there who would disagree with you. Pulisic has had several good chances in his more advanced position in this game and has not been able to connect well with any of them.
From Pablo Iglesias Maurer: The US have started brightly, as they did against Belgium, largely matching Portugal moving forward and remaining calm and patient defensively. One player, however, who has not been at his best – and has not been for quite some time – is Christian Pulisic, who has performed poorly with a few chances, both from close range. Earlier in the week, Pulisic said he felt a lot of pressure but claimed he didn’t pay much attention to it. With each of these omissions, that load becomes a little heavier.
23 minutes: Wow, another missed chance from Pulisic. After a very patient, well-worked move from the US, Tim Weah fired a precise ball to Pulisic, who was well positioned between the center backs. He just needed to make solid contact, and he whiffed on the ball in the air. Berhalter fires a follow-up from distance which is saved by Sá.
From Jeff Rueter: For all the aspiring stadium designers or ticket pricemakers out there… may I advise not pricing the midfield sections extremely So grand compared to the rest of the field? In a very packed house, the only section with the widest number of empty seats is the one facing the broadcast audience.
19 minutes: Opportunity! Weston McKennie caught a long ball from behind, somehow managed to play it to Tim Weah, whose shot from distance went over the bar.
17 minutes: Portugal goalkeeper Jose Sa joined several American players in possession, but could not convert clean shooting chances. A shame, but proof that the pressure is working for America (at least at the time).
14 minutes: After a strong start, Portugal pushed the United States back a bit, finding some good momentum attacking the United States’ left flank.
Portugal’s early players
Some readers have pointed out – that I forgot to post the Portugal lineup! I apologize. It is very strong, as one might expect.
Jose Sa; Cancelo, Inácio, Araujo, Dalot; Vitinha, Costa; Neto, Fernandes, Tincao; Ramos
8 minutes: Save Matt Freeze! Joao Cancelo fired a beautiful ball towards Bruno Fernandes, but his effort in front of goal was wasted for a corner kick.
6 minutes: Y’all, Christian Pulisic has been bitten by a snake in front of goal. Malik Tillman made a good move and launched an American counter which gave Pulisic a window to shoot, but his low effort was taken out of play.
1 minute: Already a very positive start for the US, stopping Portugal’s build-up from behind for a shot saved by Jose Sa.
The national anthem is played, the teams are lined up…let’s play some ball.
The PA announcer says, “Wave your flags”. And indeed, fans in attendance wave small flags bearing the US Soccer logo. Seems like maybe a regular American flag view would have been more inspiring!
it is very fast. Brad Guzan is yelling at me. help.
Of the 27 starting selections for Pochettino’s March team, 18 featured in his starting line-up. The neglected nine are as follows:
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patrick schulte
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Chris Brady
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joe scali
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max arfston
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Brandon 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 will not be expecting a start. Arfstein lost back-to-back starts to Antoine Robinson, which makes sense since he missed 2025 altogether for the US. Roldan seems set to be the backup defensive midfielder, and Patrick Agyemang a natural change-of-pace striker off the bench. Aaronson, Reyna and Pepi will be sweating on their chances for team selection the most, as options like Diego Luna and Hadji Wright were not available for this window.
Jeff Rueter
Jeff Rueter’s analysis
The United States did some good things after the loss to Belgium, but overall they looked disappointed and out of practice
Those lowlands!
Over the past 12 years of American soccer, there have been defining moments against countries like the Netherlands and Belgium that have outscored the Americans at key points.
Leander Sherlockens’ column:
From Jeff Rueter: It’s hard to resist the rampant speculation behind this final lineup before Pochettino chooses his team. Morris and Berhalter, former academy teammates at Columbus, will be desperate to show the bite and midfield composure required to stake their case for a World Cup berth. Clearly there is some desperation to get Pulisic back in goals if he is serving as the nominal line-leader.
American fans should hope Alex Freeman makes a change that will keep him in the lineup. Whether he is the right-most of the three centre-backs or a right back (or wing back), he has been central to the team’s best performances in recent windows.
Via Pablo Iglesias Maurer: It’s about an hour before kick-off and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is already quite full. One thing became abundantly clear on the walk here – this will be a huge task for the US in terms of the crowd, which is 50/50 best interests and probably also Portugal supporters. Belgian fans were hard to come by on Saturday, while the United States lost anyway.
Via the FotMob lineup builder, this is a (very unlikely) possibility for how the US could line up tonight.
the lineups are in
USMNT will line up like this
Matt Freeze; Antoine Robinson, Auston Trustee, 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, that’s the question we’re asking in the press box.
Either way, with that personnel it is almost certainly another four-man backline, unless Weston McKennie or Tim Weah fills one of the wingback spots in a five-man look, as they have done with their club teams.
At the center of defense, this will be the first time that Richards and Trusty will play together for the USMNT. Richards returns after missing the Belgium game with a knee problem during Europa League duty with Crystal Palace.
Lots to discuss!
In Saturday’s game, the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks and light-on-light kit matchups created a difficult situation on and off the field:
Türkiye will qualify, will play USMNT
Full-time has been called in the Türkiye vs. Kosovo playoff game in Kosovo, which Turkey won 1–0. That puts them as the last team in the United States’ World Cup group — the U.S. will play Turkey on June 25.
This means the United States will play friendlies against all three of its World Cup group opponents in 2025. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Things are getting interesting in the second big European playoff…
Meanwhile, in Europe…
Türkiye leads Kosovo 1-0 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 damaged their pre-World Cup momentum
Preface
Hello and welcome. Alexander will be on hand shortly to guide you through this window-ending friendly for America.
