USMNT show flashes and flaws in March friendlies
Just before halftime in the US Men's National Team's defeat to Portugal yesterday, Christian Pulisic found himself on the break, with the ball at his feet. Only a goal down at that point, the face of American soccer (and the false 9 for the night) was charging at the Portuguese back line, teammates bursting forward on either side. But despite the opportunity, as the wave of attackers ran out of open field so too did they run out of ideas.
And with one uninspired pass and another uninspired touch, the US turned the ball over. A couple minutes later, another Pulisic-led attack would once again come up short in Portuguese box, this time resulting in a yellow card for the 27-year-old as he swiped at Samú Costa after losing the ball. It was a sequence emblematic of the US’ international window.
Chances missed. Mistakes paid for. Frustration in spades.
Still, losing 2-5 to Belgium and 0-2 to Portugal in the span of three days is more deflating than devastating. As enthused as the Atlanta crowds were at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the stakes were low and the context as casual as the kit-clash with Belgium suggested. These were very much friendlies, and just as it was important to not get carried away with the 5-1 win over Uruguay back in November, it’s equally important to not allow losses to the 5th and 9th ranked teams in the world kill the good vibes.
At least that’s what one hopes US manager Mauricio Pochettino is telling the players. After all, not everything was bad. Despite the disheartening scorelines, there were genuine positives to take from both games.