ATLANTA (March 31, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s National Team closed its penultimate camp before the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 loss to sixth-ranked Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a hard-fought match against the reigning UEFA Nations League champions.
Tuesday night’s match was the final chance for players to make their case to be part of head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The roster will be announced May 26 leading into the team’s final two matches before the global competition – against Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte, N.C. and Germany on June 6 in Chicago.
Pochettino made six changes to the lineup that started Saturday’s match against Belgium, inserting goalkeeper Matt Freese, defenders Alex Freeman and Auston Trusty, and midfielders Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris. The sixth change was center back Chris Richards, U.S. Soccer’s reigning Male Player of the Year. Richards captained the USMNT in his first international action since the October FIFA window.
Like Saturday's match against Belgium, the U.S. began on the front foot and took three shots before the reigning UEFA Nations League champions took their first. Early, Trusty pushed high and intercepted a Portugal pass to ignite the U.S. attack. The play finished with forward Christian Pulisic picking out the opposite corner from about eight yards, but Portugal blocked the shot. The ensuing corner kick saw Weston McKennie sneak in unmarked at the back post, similar to the opening goal he scored against Belgium on Saturday. The midfielder nearly connected with Berhalter’s service, but McKennie’s header bounced just wide of the post.
Moments later, Freese was called into action when midfielder Bruno Fernandes turned quickly to crack a first-time shot on frame from inside the box. The firm strike from Portugal’s most-capped player forced Freese, earning his 14th cap, to react quickly to knock the ball out of bounds. The USA goalkeeper capped the world-class play with a passionate roar to embolden his defense.
The two sides continued to trade chances, including a scorching shot from Pulisic in the 36th minute that missed just wide. Then, a Portuguese counterattack led to the opening goal of the match. Fernandes backheeled a pass from the corner of the six-yard box to set up a shot for forward Francisco Trincão. His left-footed strike from inside the box gave the visitors the go-ahead goal.
While Roberto Martínez’s group went into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead, the Americans owned more chances in the first half. The USMNT finished the first 45 minutes with eight shots compared to Portugal’s three.
Teams were allowed to make 11 substitutions, a number the U.S. and Portugal decided on prior to the match, and Pochettino sent on his first subs at halftime. Forward Patrick Agyemang, midfielder Tanner Tessmann, and fullback Max Arfsten replaced Pulisic, McKennie, and fullback Antonee Robinson. Portugal made seven changes at halftime.
One of those substitutes scored Portugal’s second goal in the 59th minute. On a corner kick, Fernandes located João Félix just outside the 18-yard box. The Al-Nassr forward took a touch then hammered it home with his right foot to double the lead for Seleção das Quinas.
Trailing two goals, the USMNT continued to attack as it aimed to cut into the deficit behind some fresh legs. A diving save in stoppage time from Freese kept Portugal from extending its lead, and 2-0 was the score at full-time.
The crowd of 72,297 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium created an incredible and vibrant atmosphere for the second straight match, giving soccer fans around the country an exciting look into the next chapter of American soccer. Georgia will serve as the new home for the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, set to open this spring, and host eight World Cup matches this summer.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
POR– FRANCISCO TRINCÃO(BRUNO FERNANDES),37thminute: Portugal capitalized on a rapid counterattack. A long ball from Vitinha arrived at Fernandes just outside the six-yard box, and the midfielder backheeled the ball for his teammate lingering in the area. Trincão cut back to put the ball on his left foot, then delivered a low shot into the lower, lefthand corner of the net about 10 yards from goal. USA 0, POR 1
POR –JOÃO FELIX(BRUNO FERNANDES), 59th minute: Fernandes located Felix a few steps outside the top of the 18-yard box with a pass from the left flag on a corner kick. Felix took one touch then struck the ball with the laces of his right boot. The firm shot took a couple of bounces before clanking off the left post and into the back of the net. USA 0, POR 2
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Match: United States Men’s National Team vs. Portugal
Date: March 31, 2026
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, Ga.
Attendance: 72,297
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
Weather: Indoors
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POR | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| POR - Francisco Trincao (Bruno Fernandes) | 37th minute |
| POR - Joao Felix (Bruno Fernandes) | 59 |
Lineups:
USA: 24-Matt Freese, 16-Alex Freeman (7-Gio Reyna, 79), 3-Chris Richards (capt.), 2-Auston Trusty (22-Mark McKenzie, 90+1), 5-Antonee Robinson (18-Max Arfsten, 46); 14-Sebastian Berhalter (11-Brenden Aaronson, 79), 23-Aidan Morris (4-Cristian Roldan, 79); 21-Tim Weah (20-Folarin Balogun, 67), 8-Weston McKennie (6-Tanner Tessman, 45), 17-Malik Tillman (19-Joe Scally, 67); 10-Christian Pulisic (25-Patrick Agyemang, 46)
Substitutes not used: 1-Matt Turner, 26-Chris Brady, 27-Patrick Schulte, 9-Ricardo Pepi, 13-Tim Ream
Head coach: Mauricio Pochettino
POR: 12-Jose Sa (1-Ricardo Velho, 85), 2-Diogo Dalot (6-Matheus Nunes, 46), 3-Tomas Araujo (4-Antonio Silva, 46), 14-Goncalo Inacio (13-Renato Veiga, 70), 20-Joao Cancelo (25-Nuno Mendes, 46); 5-Samu Costa (24-Ricardo Horta, 46), 23-Vitinha (21-Ruben Neves, 46); 16-Francisco Trincao (26-Francisco Conceição, 46), 8-Bruno Fernandes (capt.) (11-Mateus Fernandes, 85), 18-Pedro Neto (10-Joao Felix, 46); 9-Goncalo Ramos (17-Paulinho, 61)
Substitutes not used: 22-Rui Silva, 7-Goncalo Guedes, 15-Joao Neves, 19-Pedro Goncalves
Head coach: Roberto Martinez
Stats Summary: USA / POR
Shots: 12 / 11
Shots on Goal: 3 / 5
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 2 / 8
Fouls: 15 / 6
Offsides: 2 / 1
| Misconduct Summary | |
| POR - Joao Cancelo (Caution) | 34th minute |
| USA - Christian Pulisic (Caution) | 45+3 |
Officials:
Referee: Sven Jablonski (GER)
Assistant 1: Eduard Beitinger (GER)
Assistant 2: Dominik Schaal (GER)
Fourth Official: Harm Osmers (GER)
VAR 1: Benjamin Pineda (CRC)
VAR 2: Roy Acuna (CRC)