Portugal down US 2-0
\n LOS ANGELES
\nBruno Fernandes picked apart the United States defense to hand Portugal a 2-0 win Tuesday over the World Cup hosts, who again failed to deliver against top-tier opponents ahead of this summer\u2019s tournament.
\nManchester United playmaker Fernandes had two assists, setting up Francisco Trincao with a cool backheel, before finding a totally unmarked Joao Felix from a corner to double the lead.
\nFor the US, who face rising expectations as they prepare to co-host the World Cup with Mexico and Canada, it was a second underwhelming friendly loss in three days at Atlanta\u2019s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, after a 5-2 thrashing by Belgium at the weekend.
\nIn his final game before picking his tournament squad, coach Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s experiment of playing Christian Pulisic as a striker fizzled out, as the US talisman missed several chances before being substituted at the break.
\nIt was an eighth defeat in a row for the US against European sides. But Pochettino insisted his players can break that curse when it really matters this summer.
\n\u201cAlways [it] is the hope the first time is going to be in the World Cup,\u201d he said, after the game.
\nThe US started brightly. Given license to rampage forward in the absence of striker Folarin Balogun, Pulisic shot from a narrow angle in the game\u2019s sixth minute, but his tame effort was blocked.
\nTimothy Weah sent in a dangerous cross for Pulisic midway through the half. But Pulisic, who has yet to score for AC Milan in 2026, and has not found the net for the US since 2024, totally failed to connect with the ball.
\nA better Pulisic effort from 25 yards flashed just wide of the post, before Fernandes \u2014 played through with an incisive Vitinha pass \u2014 cleverly backheeled it to Trincao, who slotted home.
\nIn the final moments of the first half, Pulisic found himself in a one-on-one race with Henrique Araujo, but could not get past the defender and earned himself a booking for lashing out, before being substituted off.
\n\u201cWe put a lot of pressure on them in the first half of both the games, and we were able to create chances,\u201d Pulisic said after the game.
\n\u201cIf I finish a couple chances \u2014 which I know I\u2019m going to \u2014 things are going to be a bit different.\u201d
\nFor the second half, Pochettino reverted to a more traditional formation with the arrival of striker Patrick Agyemang, who had scored against Belgium.
\nThe Portguese made seven substitutions. It did not appear to upset their rhythm, and the Europeans\u2019 lead soon doubled.
\nFernandes pinged a corner to Felix, who somehow had time to control the ball, let it bounce and loop up for a volley, which he buried in the bottom left corner.
\nA string of further substitutions from both sides slowed down the game. US goalkeeper Matt Freese was forced into two excellent saves \u2014 one from a blistering long range by Ruben Neves, and off Francisco Conceicao in stoppage time.
\nThe World Cup kicks off on June 11. The US will face Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, with high hopes of reaching the knockouts.
\nDespite back-to-back friendly losses, Pochettino said the only way to improve before the intense pressure of a home World Cup was to test his less vaunted side against daunting opposition.
\n\u201cWe are the USA. And we are competing against Belgium, Portugal,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI think for sure, Belgium and Portugal have in the top 100, a few, or some players playing in that top 100. I think we don\u2019t have.\u201d
\n\u201cThat is why it is good to play against this type of team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Portugal down US 2-0 LOS ANGELES Bruno Fernandes picked apart the United States defense to hand Portugal a 2-0 win Tuesday over the World Cup hosts, who again failed to deliver against top-tier opponents ahead of this summer\u2019s tournament. Manchester United playmaker Fernandes had two assists, setting up Francisco Trincao with a cool backheel, before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-539575","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n