Led by Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, Portugal secured a 2–0 win over the United States men's national team in an international friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This was Team USA’s second consecutive defeat in the March window and its eighth straight loss against European teams.
The result follows a 5–2 loss to Belgium and came despite head coach Mauricio Pochettino making a total of six changes from his previous lineup. It led to Christian Pulisic starting in a central role as his scoring drought was also extended to eight games, per ESPN.
The win came despite Portugal themselves missing two of their biggest stars in Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo. While the Manchester City man was not a part of the squad, Ronaldo is currently injured, with both players expected to be involved in the World Cup.
Regardless, Bruno Fernandes dictated proceedings right from the start and assisted both of Portugal’s goals. He finished with 75 touches and 20 passes in the final third.
The first goal came in the 37th minute via a Fernandes backheel inside the box, which was then collected by Francisco Trincao. He coolly slotted the ball past keeper Matt Freese.
Joao Felix then doubled his team’s lead in the 59th minute, scoring with a controlled volley from the edge of the box. While Team USA outshot Portugal 13-12, they struggled in effectively every other metric. Both teams had four shots on target while Portugal had a total of eight corners in the game, compared to the USA's two.
Portugal dominated possession and themselves struggled to get going. However, with Fernandes leading the line, they eventually managed to score, with Team USA failing to hit back after that point.
Team USA will now play its final two warm-ups against Senegal (May 31) and Germany (June 6). Pochettino is set to announce the World Cup squad on May 26 and may have plenty of thinking to do, considering recent results.
