Five things we learned about the USMNT in March defeats to Belgium, Portugal as World Cup fears rise
As the USMNT fell victim to another top European nation, the outlook for the 2026 FIFA World Cup turned sour just months from the start of the FIFA tournament. So what have we learned this March?
Five things we learned about the USMNT in March defeats to Belgium, Portugal as World Cup fears rise originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . As the United States men's national soccer team fell to another top European opponent, the outlook for the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026 has turned sour just months before the tournament begins.
Set to host the world-class competition, which kicks off June 11, the U. S. now has losses to Belgium and Portugal during the final international window before the World Cup roster is named.
The results have stoked fears of a possible disappointment on the horizon. Mauricio Pochettino saw his side blasted by Belgium by a 5-2 score over the weekend before a 2-0 defeat to Portugal three days later, neither of which provided many positives. Yet the head man still must take these performances and use them to select his 26-man roster for the upcoming tournament, with no more matches on the docket before the rosters are due to FIFA.
The Sporting News discusses what fans can take from these two March results against top-tier European opposition, and what we learned through these 180 minutes of defeat. MORE: USMNT player ratings from the 2-0 defeat to Portugal Matt Freese is the clear USMNT No. 1 goalkeeper There are a lot of positions up for grabs as the 2026 World Cup nears, but starting goalkeeper is not one of them.
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