USMNT player ratings vs. Portugal: Grading USA's roster for 2026 FIFA World Cup after friendlies

Tuesday's test against Portugal represented the final 90 minutes of action before Mauricio Pochettino must name his 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It was the last chance for players to impress the USMNT head coach before heading back to their clubs and hoped to be called in this summer.

In it, Pochettino tried a bold experiment, deploying a starting lineup devoid of a natural striker, even though three of them were on the roster.

The Sporting News details how each player in the match performed, and how they fit into the overall approach from Pochettino in the match.

FOLLOW LIVE: Follow all the action as it happens in the USMNT vs. Portugal friendly

USA vs. Portugal live score

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Starting lineups:

USA (4-3-2-1, right to left): 24. Freese (GK) — 16. Freeman, 2. Trusty, 3. Richards, 5. A. Robinson — 23. Morris, 14. Berhalter, 8. McKennie — 17. Tillman, 21. Weah — 10. Pulisic.

Portugal (4-3-3, right to left): 12. Sa (GK) — 20. Cancelo, Araujo, 14. Inacio, 2. Dalot — 5. S. Costa, 8. B. Fernandes, 23. Vitinha — 18. Neto, 9. Ramos, 16. Trincao.

MORE: Look back at the USMNT's heavy defeat to Belgium in their last match

USMNT player ratings vs. Portugal

Starters

GK — Matt Freese: 7

There's no question who the No. 1 goalkeeper is for the USMNT heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Freese opened the match with an exceptional save on Bruno Fernandes inside the opening 10 minutes, diving to his right to get his wrist to the powerful shot.

FREESE WITH A BIG STOP EARLY! pic.twitter.com/koWLs02e6y

DEF — Alex Freeman: 6

Solid defensively but failed to contribute in the attack. Lazily ran a counter-attack forward down the right flank after being out-paced by a player from behind. Made an excellent run down the wing to spring a chance for Christian Pulisic in the 35th minute, but then a poor feed to Weston McKennie minutes later contributed to the turnover that Portugal scored from.

His intensity and involvement are a positive sign, even if his performance wasn't lacking for a few errors.

DEF — Auston Trusty: 4

With Chris Richards covering Bruno Fernandes on the Portugal opener, Trusty failed to see the trailing run of Trincao, instead following Richards and doubling Fernandes. That's a key mistake that can make the difference in matches like this against top opposition.

DEF — Chris Richards: 8

Unquestionably the best U.S. defender. Routinely out-jumped opponents to get his head to the ball and clear chances, and also prevented a number of crosses into the penalty area. A true leader on the pitch, he is constantly organizing the defensive structure.

There's no debating that the U.S. needs Richards on the field to perform well at the World Cup.

DEF — Antonee Robinson: 5

Wasn't involved heavily in possession through the first half, and didn't make any notable defensive interventions. Portugal attacked mostly down his wing rather than against Freeman. Cropped up with a long-distance effort just before halftime that didn't miss the top corner by much.

MID — Sebastian Berhalter: 7

Strong when the U.S. had possession, in sync with his midfield partner Aidan Morris. Good on set pieces as well, which is his specialty.

A quality long-range shot in the first half forced a big save from Jose Sa.

MID — Aidan Morris: 6

Managed to get himself in passing lanes often, which forced a number of turnovers. Not a bad first half from the Middlesbrough man.

MID — Tim Weah: 5

Flubbed a big chance in the 17th minute off a bad Portugal turnover, taking too long to decide what to do with the ball until Portugal recovered.

Pochettino continually had to tell him to get higher up the pitch.

MID — Malik Tillman: 5

Was largely invisible through the first half, until he cropped up in front of goal just before the break with a long-range volleyed effort that he caught cleanly but fired over the crossbar. Just one touch in the opposition penalty area through the first 45 minutes.

FWD — Weston McKennie: 6

A bit wasted in the striker-less formation early on, as it felt like Mauricio Pochettino just wanted to get McKennie on the pitch at the expense of a true striker. He grew into the match, however, and created problems in a role with freedom. Drew the yellow card for Joao Cancelo, and worked well off Christian Pulisic.

FWD — Christian Pulisic: 4

Continued to struggle in front of goal. Failed to even get a touch on a dangerous cross from Tim Weah in the 20th minute. Botched a counter-attack shortly before the break, taking too long to decide where to go with it before he just tapped it to McKennie who was covered and slipped. Blew it again shortly after when he and Tillman were in on goal. The worst was a botched one-on-two chance right on the stroke of halftime, where he was dispossessed and picked up a really stupid yellow card borne of complete frustration.

Pulisic has done well to get involved and be a lightning rod up front, but his end product is a mess. His USMNT goal drought is starting to become a problem, having failed to score for the international team since 2024. It's clearly weighing on him, and seems to be affecting his performance.

USMNT substitutes vs. Portugal

Player ratings for individuals who join the match off the bench will be included here.

USMNT coach vs. Portugal

A grade for head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be included here once the match concludes.