The USMNT’s game against Portugal finished in a 1-1 draw.
A young US team drew an equally young Portugal squad 1-1 yesterday, in front of 19,000 in Leiria, Portugal. The US started the match with a lot of energy, and their passing was surprisingly crisp. The US found the back of the net in the 21st minute when CJ Sapong laid the ball off to FC Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie, who was able to cut inside on Portuguese debutante Ricardo Ferreira, before rifling a low shot to the near post, and beating Portugal’s keeper Beto to put the US up 1-0. Just 10 minutes later though, Portugal was able to level the score, thanks to a horrendous error by US keeper Ethan Horvath.
It happened when Portugal left-back Vitorino Antunes had a go from outside the box. The shot had some pace on it, but it was headed straight to Horvath and should have been a relatively easy save for the Club Brugge keeper. When Horvath crouched down to collect the shot, however, disaster struck, as the ball trickled between his legs and into the back of the net. A horrendous gaffe to be frank, but besides that, the young talent really shined for the US, with Matt Miazga, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Cameron Carter-Vickers all putting in particularly strong shifts, with the latter 3 making their debuts. Adams nearly scored a header to put the US back ahead late, had he not been denied in spectacular fashion by Beto, who made several key saves for Portugal.
Overall, it was a strong performance from a very young US team, and it’s sure to give US fans something to look forward to.
Match Ratings:
Ethan Horvath- 3
DeAndre Yedlin- 6
Matt Miazga- 7.5
John Brooks- 7
Eric Lichaj- 6.5
Danny Williams- 7
Kellyn Acosta- 6
Weston McKennie- 8
Tyler Adams- 7
Juan Agudelo- 5.5
CJ Sapong- 7
Subs
Bill Hamid- 5
Cameron Carter-Vickers- 7
Lynden Gooch- 6
Jorge Villafana- 6
Dom Dwyer- N/A (Too brief of an appearance)
Alejandro Bedoya- N/A (Too brief of an appearance)
