The United States dropped its second match in a row Tuesday, losing 2-0 to Portugal in a friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to conclude its March international window.
Francisco Trincão opened the scoring in the first half and João Félix added a goal in the second half with a sweet volley from the top of the penalty area from a set play.
The Americans were coming off a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Belgium on Saturday in their final matches before Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup squad on May 26.
The U.S. coach made six changes to the team that lost to Belgium, with Christian Pulisic starting in a central role at the top of Pochettino’s formation. The tactical shift did not help Pulisic break out of his scoring slump, as he was substituted at halftime in his eighth-straight game for the U.S. without a goal.
Pochettino has two more warmup games with the USMNT before the start of the World Cup — against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6.
The U.S. begins Group D play at the World Cup on June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, before playing Australia and Türkiye in its quest to reach the knockout rounds.
