The United States were routed 5-2 by Belgium in a humbling defeat for Mauricio Pochettino’s team as they prepare to cohost the FIFA World Cup 2026, while Mexico and Portugal played to a goalless draw.
Saturday’s thrashing comes as a wake-up call just 75 days before the tournament for the USA, who, after a good run of recent results, were again found severely lacking against top European opposition.
“I see this as a good reality check for us, because now is the moment to feel this type of situation, to improve,” Pochettino said after the game in Atlanta. “We need to improve, of course.”
The USA took an early lead against the world’s ninth-ranked team, with Weston McKennie slotting in to the delight of a packed Atlanta crowd of 67,000.
But the Americans, knowing that their chances of making a deep run in the World Cup will likely depend on beating elite European sides, saw any hopes of a statement victory dashed.
Having conceded, the Belgians swiftly came to life, with a deluge of goals from Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, and Charles De Ketelaere, and a brace from substitute Dodi Lukebakio.
Patrick Agyemang grabbed a late consolation for the USA, who play Portugal in another high-profile friendly on Tuesday before Pochettino announces his final squad in May.
Man dies at Azteca before Mexico-Portugal match
Meanwhile, Mexico’s friendly against Portugal, marking the reopening of the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City ahead of the World Cup, ended in a 0-0 draw.
The reopening became controversial as a man died after falling from a box seat area shortly before the match, security officials said.
Authorities said the man was intoxicated. He attempted to jump from the second-level box seats to the first level by climbing along the exterior of the structure before falling to the ground floor, they said.
The match doubled as a test event for the revamped stadium, drawing a festive crowd eager to sample the atmosphere in advance of the June 11 to July 19 tournament.
The iconic venue, which hosted the finals of the 1970 and 1986 World Cup tournaments, has been closed since May 2024 for renovations and will host five World Cup matches: three in the first round and two in the knockout stages.
The Portuguese faced the match with absences, most notably those of forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leao.
Portugal’s Joao Felix went close in the 14th minute before Goncalo Ramos struck the post midway through the first half.
The visitors continued to look the more dangerous side after the break, with Bruno Fernandes firing just wide.
Tensions briefly flared between Pedro Neto and Jesus Gallardo, while the introduction of Toluca’s Portuguese striker Paulinho was met with loud cheers from the home crowd.
“I think we had 10 shots on goal, which isn’t far off what we were aiming for,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said.
“What isn’t good is the number of shots on target; we lacked accuracy.
“Success or failure isn’t just about the score. There are many more factors at play these days. I think that, after 90 minutes, the team is better prepared for the World Cup,” Martinez said.
Mexico, who were booed by sections of the crowd at the final whistle, face Belgium in another friendly on Tuesday.
The tournament cohosts will play South Africa at the Azteca in the June 11 tournament opener.
Wirtz shines for Germany in Switzerland
In other results, Germany forward Florian Wirtz scored two goals, including an 86th-minute winner, and set up two more as his team twice came from a goal down to beat Switzerland 4-3 in Basel.
The 22-year-old Wirtz put the visitors 3-2 up just past the hour with a stunning 18-metre curled effort and bagged the winner with another spectacular strike from the edge of the box in an entertaining game.
Wirtz, who missed the 2022 World Cup through injury, has been struggling for form in his first season at Liverpool, but on Friday played arguably his best game for the national team.
“Well, with four scorer points, most likely, yes,” Wirtz said. “We have a tight World Cup phase in front of us, and we obviously want to reach the final and win the trophy, but we all know it will be a very hard road until then.”
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