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Five things we learned about the USMNT in March defeats to Belgium, Portugal as World Cup fears rise

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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.

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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.

Comparing the performances of Matt Turner and Matt Freese across the two friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, there was no debate that Freese outperformed the 2022 World Cup starter. He made a number of quality saves in the defeat to Portugal which kept the game within reach, including one world-class stop on Bruno Fernandes early on.

Freese is good in possession, and even better at stopping shots, and there’s no question he will be the man between the sticks on June 12 when the World Cup begins. The only battle is for who will back him up.

MORE:Projecting the USMNT roster at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Christian Pulisic must find his form by the World Cup

Christian Pulisic is struggling in front of goal — majorly.

The 27-year-old is unquestionably the best player on the United States men's national soccer team, and without him firing, they simply cannot reach their goals.

The problem for Pulisic is not involvement — he was a major part of the USMNT buildup throughout the two March friendlies. But when he reached the decisive moments, he was too slow to make decisions and inaccurate when he did manage to get shots off.

After the match, Mauricio Pochettino admitted he is “a little bit frustrated” by Pulisic’s lack of scoring, as well as the refereeing, but added that “that is not an excuse."

Pochettino brushed off his frustration, saying “this is what we want” — that Pulisic is hungry for a strong performance and goals.

Given Pulisic’s undeniable quality, it’s reasonable to expect he will eventually turn this slump around. He even said as much after the match. But right now, it’s not happening for CP10, and if it doesn’t turn around by the time the FIFA World Cup 2026 arrives, the USMNT could be in serious trouble.

Chris Richards is a natural leader at the back

The USMNT is unquestionably a better team when Chris Richards is on the pitch.

This isn't exactly new information, but it was reinforced this March when comparing the defensive organization of the two matches.

Against Belgium the back line was all over the place consistently throughout the match, especially in the second half. With Richards on the field, it never really got out of hand even if there were individual positioning errors in certain moments.

Beyond just marshaling the back line, Richards is a monster at the back. Across his 90 minutes of action, Richards had seven defensive contributions — all clearances — tied for second in the match behind Auston Trusty. Most importantly, he is seemingly never out of position, a huge asset in a team of players who are constantly finding themselves in the wrong place.

MORE: Exploring the USMNT's 10-game winless streak vs. European competition

Intensity, or lack thereof, can elevate or doom the USMNT

It's extremely clear from these two games that while the USMNT can elevate themselves against any opponent no matter the skill level, a lack thereof can also cause them to slump into a pile-on.

The U.S. lacked intensity for much of the game against Belgium, and they were punished as a result. They looked up for the challenge in the first half of the match against Portugal, but as the game wound on and mistakes caused problems, their intensity and focus began to wane and their opponents started to pile on the pressure.

This biggest weakness for this squad of USMNT players, unquestionably, is the propensity for individual errors. They are not good enough to match up one-on-one with teams like Belgium and Portugal, and must play like a team to perform against the best European opponents.

"These types of mistakes are not crazy, but in this type of game" they will get punished, Pochettino said of the mistakes they made against Portugal.

In that effort to cut out individual errors, the focus must not wane. It cannot wane. When it does, they fall apart at the seams. While that is true for any team, it is especially true for this USMNT side that is undone by mistakes more than other, more talented sides that can cover for their mistakes with athleticism and quality.

The intensity should rise at the World Cup, where the excitement is high and adrenaline flowing compared to a friendly, but that will be true for all teams at the tournament as well. An inability to stay focused and intense during friendlies against top opposition is a concern.

MORE: Who are the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup?

Pochettino still has not figured out his USMNT starting 11

It's clear that there are many positions where Mauricio Pochettino not only hasn't determined who will make the USMNT roster at the 2026 World Cup, but he doesn't even know who will start.

In midfield, Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter got starts against Portugal while Tanner Tessmann and Weston McKennie are also options, and Cristian Roldan remains in the mix. With Tyler Adams expected back this summer, there will be some difficult decisions to make when the cuts come around, but that still leaves the question of who will gobble up the majority of the minutes.

At the back, we are no closer to knowing who will start alongside Chris Richards in central defense. Auston Trusty looked good in that role against Portugal, but still was partially at fault for the first goal. Mark McKenzie isn't an inspiring option, and Tim Ream is aging and not a stylistic fit. How will Pochettino play this?

Up front, Folarin Balogun is the assumed starting striker, but behind him is a complete mess. Patrick Agyemang got most of the minutes this window behind the Monaco forward, and Haji Wright should factor in after missing camp due to injury. Ricardo Pepi was called in but hardly saw the field, seemingly fourth in the pecking order despite the fact he has poured on the goals for PSV this season.

What will Tim Weah's role be when Sergino Dest comes back? How will Malik Tillman be used in midfield? What position will Christian Pulisic play after being deployed at striker against Portugal?

There are so many tactical questions left to answer, and no time to answer them. Pochettino must go off the information he has available.

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