ATLANTA — Coming into last month’s pair of international tune-up games, the U.S. men’s national team had been riding a five-game unbeaten streak since September. The results against top European opposition provided a reality check.
The USMNT lost 5-2 to Belgium on Saturday and 2-0 to Portugal on Tuesday. Those matches were a deliberate step up in competition to measure the Americans against the kind of teams they’ll need to beat to make a deep run at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
“Even if it’s painful, it’s the only way to improve. It’s the only way to learn. It’s the only way to see how these top players and teams compete,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the Portugal game. “I am more positive now than before. Because seeing the team compete, we are not far away. It’s only details we need to improve.”
Here are four takeaways from the two matches.
1) The USMNT had promising moments, but a gap remains
The U.S. looked best in the first half against Belgium, moving the ball upfield and creating chances. Weston McKennie’s goal from an Antonee Robinson corner briefly put the Americans ahead, but Pochettino’s reaction reflected frustration at missed opportunities — he felt the team should have scored more.
Failing to finish high-quality chances hurt the U.S. in both games. Belgium and Portugal were more clinical and decisive when they found gaps in the American defense. That ruthlessness in finishing, and the ability to punish mistakes, is what separates teams like the U.S. from top-ranked nations such as Portugal, currently among the World Cup favorites.
“To see competition at that level, and also the ruthlessness of the finishing, that’s a positive takeaway, because you can see it,” defender Auston Trusty said. “If you play against a smaller side, sometimes you don’t really get exposed.”
2) The defense remains an open question
Pochettino faces decisions on the roster, formation and how to deploy key players like Christian Pulisic and McKennie. He has tried a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-2-1 during his tenure — the choice matters because the U.S. lacks depth of proven World Cup–caliber defenders.
Against Belgium and Portugal, Pochettino reverted to a back four and used seven different defensive starters across the two games (Robinson started both). Of those seven — Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Robinson, Auston Trusty and Tim Weah — Robinson and Richards appear most likely to log significant minutes at the World Cup. Trusty was solid, but McKenzie and Freeman are relatively inexperienced; Weah is more attack-minded; and Ream, now 38, struggles with the speed of younger attackers.
3) Pochettino wants more intensity
Pochettino repeatedly criticized the team’s intensity in the friendlies. Against Belgium, several goals came from defensive lapses: lost footraces, failures to recover, and missed opportunities to disrupt transitions. Pochettino contrasted the U.S. performances with a friendly he watched between France and Colombia, saying those teams played like it was a World Cup final. He stressed that intensity and competitiveness must be present in these tune-ups to build the right habits.
“You cannot be aggressive if you do not create reality,” he said, arguing that intensity must be demonstrated consistently, not promised for later.
4) Returning players help, but depth is exposed without them
Injuries have complicated selection. Johnny Cardoso left a match early with leg discomfort, Sergiño Dest hurt his hamstring in March and his World Cup availability is uncertain, and Tyler Adams remains sidelined after tearing a knee ligament in December.
There was positive news when Chris Richards returned after a knee issue and played effectively against Portugal, and Robinson, who had battled knee pain since surgery, was excellent in both games. Their comebacks underscore how much difference a couple of key players can make. At full strength, the U.S. has real talent, but absences highlight a thin margin in depth.
Group stage context and upcoming schedule
A playoff win put Türkiye (ranked No. 22) into Group D alongside the U.S. The Americans played all three group opponents in 2025, losing to Türkiye and beating Australia (No. 27) and Paraguay (No. 40). The U.S. will aim to win the group, but none of the opponents are easy and advancing is not guaranteed.
Upcoming schedule:
– Sunday, May 31: friendly vs. Senegal in Charlotte, N.C.
– Saturday, June 6: friendly vs. Germany in Chicago
– Friday, June 12: World Cup group stage vs. Paraguay in Los Angeles
– Friday, June 19: World Cup group stage vs. Australia in Seattle
– Thursday, June 25: World Cup group stage vs. Türkiye in Los Angeles