The good news: Weston McKennie became the third-youngest player to score on his USA debut. The also-good news: the United States held the European champions to a 1-1 draw. All in all, a positive result and the Americans turn the page.
That’s all for now. Be sure to check out Tom Dart’s match report and thanks for following along with us.
Updated
Full time: Portugal 1-1 USA
And there’s the whistle and a half-strength US have come away with a draw against a half-strength Portugal team in Leiria. Not a whole lot to glean from this result, but a small something for the Americans to wash away the acid aftertaste of their World Cup qualifying nightmare. They gave a few young players their debuts and those players created a few nice moments. As foundations for the future go it’s modest, but it’s not nothing. Which is something.
90 min+1: Bernardo Silva tries to take on his defender before settling for a shot that caroms back to the middle third. The US are tightly packed in defense as the seconds tick away.
90 min: The fourth official calls for two minutes of stoppage time.
88 min: Both teams still plugging away for a decider, but no truly dangerous chances and matters mostly petering down to the final whistle.
84 min: Bedoya comes on for Weston McKennie, the night’s big revelation for the United States after scoring early and nearing adding a second in his USA debut.
81 min: Another sub for Portugal as Rony Lopes comes on for Goncalo Guedes.
79 min: Another corner for Portugal and Bernardo Silva’s offering toward the far post goes out for a goal kick.
77 min: Antunes lets one rip with the right foot and Hamid blocks it upward before bringing it in. Nearly a second for the Getafe left back. It’s another sub for the US moments later and Dom Dwyer comes on for CJ Sapong. The announced attendance on the night is 19,017.
72 min: A cross into the box toward Carter-Vickers, but a lunging Beto meets it first with a flying kick and clears it from danger.
Some strange goalkeeping from the Portuguese keeper. It worked though! #USMNT #PORUSA #PORvUSA pic.twitter.com/48TGBYdCbe
— GolazoJuice (@GolazoJuice) November 14, 2017
Updated
68 min: The ball falls to Paciencia in the area and he rips a shot off the crossbar, taking the slightest of deflections off Yedlin. It’s out for a corner. Portugal threaten again off the set piece but it’s cleared. The hosts, dormant for long stretches of this match, have come alive over the past few minutes.
62 min: Two more substitutions enter for Portugal: Bernardo Silva for Bruma, Ruben Neves for Danilo.
61 min: Paciencia tries a shot from 20 yards but it’s deflected by Carter-Vickers. He tries again but it misses the target. Two more subs coming on for Portugal imminently.
59 min: Two more subs for the United States just before the hour mark: Villafana for Lichaj, Gooch for Agudelo.
55 min: McKennie rips one off the crossbar off a corner and he’s nearly doubled his pleasure! Yet another serious threat for the Americans with still nothing to show for it in the early stages of the second half.
54 min: Lichaj with a nice run up the left side to join the attack, taking a pass from Agudelo, and his shot is turned away by Beto and it’s out for a corner.
52 min: Fine work by Danny Williams down the left side to cross into Tyler Adams, aided by a poor defensive clearance, but his header at the far post is denied by a lunging Beto. A second excellent chance by Adams to score in his debut and it’s turned away.
Tyler Adams can't believe he didn't score! #USMNT #PORUSA #PORvUSA pic.twitter.com/x60hLwCHmR
— GolazoJuice (@GolazoJuice) November 14, 2017
Updated
46 min: We’re under way in the second half. There were six substitutions available for each side today. Portugal already made one early on with Pepe and now it looks like they’ve make two more: Joao Mario and Goncalo Paciencia come on for Bruno Fernandes and Gelson Martins.
For the United States, Carter-Vickers and Hamid enter in place of Brooks and Horvath. (Hamid for Horvath was a pre-determined sub.)
Half-time: Portugal 1-1 USA
The US might be ahead if not for the foul in the area that took away John Brooks’ goal. Instead, it’s 1-1 at the break with another 45 minutes to come at the Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa.
45 min+2: The free kick caroms off the wall and is out for a corner. It’s taken quickly by Portgual and cleared and the referee blows the whistle for half-time.
45 min+1: Gelson is hacked down on the edge of the area and Portugal will have a free kick from a dangerous area, possibly the final kick of the half.
43 min: The US win a corner. Brooks frees himself and heads it into the back of the goal from six yards ... as the whistle sounds almost simultaneously. What appears to be a clear goal is taken off the board due to a Miazga foul off the ball. Too bad.
40 min: Another sharp counter by Portugal and it’s out for a corner, their third of the night. It’s easily cleared, but the US squander a numbers advantage on their own counter-attack.
39 min: Another cross in to Horvath from the same angle but this time the young keeper is there to corral it. Moments later Danilo pounces on to a poor clearance by Horvath, takes a few dribbles and cracks a shot from outside the area, but the keeper is there to swallow it up.
Updated
35 min: A bit of a slow patch after the restart with no substantial chances for either side.
GOAL! Portugal 1-1 USA (Antunes, 31 min)
Antunes slices a hopeful ball into the area and the young American keeper steps up to corral it and it somehow slips between his legs and into the goal for an equalizer. Oh dear. It’s an absolute howler and Portugal are level.
Horvath probably wants this one back. 🙈 https://t.co/kITOGZ9qhD
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 14, 2017
Updated
28 min: Fox Sports commentator Stuart Holden reports that Alejandro Bedoya would have been the USA captain today, but he picked up a minor injury in the run-up to today’s match.
25 min: An inspired start for the United States keyed by McKennie, the Schalke midfielder who’s been excellent all day. Somewhere, Michael Bradley may be feeling the heat.
GOAL! Portugal 0-1 USA (McKennie, 21 min)
The United States intercept it in the middle third before the ball is played to Sapong on the left flank. He slips it to McKennie in the area and it’s a composed finish at the near post for the teenage debutant!
Debut goal for Weston McKennie! 🔥🇺🇸 https://t.co/JiUklslDif
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 14, 2017
Updated
17 min: The ball is lobbed from the edge of the area over a tightly packed cluster of US defenders to a wide-opne Bruma, but he mishits it and the US clear it to the halfway line again.
15 min: Danilo is whistled for a foul on Sapong in the middle third and late-arriving crowd lets the referee hear it. It’s a free kick from distance and possession is quickly returned to Portugal.
13 min: Lichaj releases up the left wing on an overlapping run but can’t get it under control and he’s quickly dispossessed by Portugal.
10 min: Pepe has been down for two minutes and it’s looks like he’s going to be subbed off. He walks gingerly off the pitch, stopping to hand off the captain’s armband to Danilo. Luis Neto will be coming in. The injury didn’t look too serious, but better safe than sorry in circumstances like these.
Pepe picks up a foot injury and is subbed after only 9 minutes in! #USMNT #PORvUSA pic.twitter.com/qcFNu2S8D5
— GolazoJuice (@GolazoJuice) November 14, 2017
Updated
7 min: Fernandes in space on the left flank plays a ball toward the far post is Lichaj has to boot it out, giving Portugal the first corner of the match. Nothing comes of it, and now it appears Pepe is down with an injury.
3 min: The US have had a few near-chances early out of their 4-1-4-1 formation. Juan Agudelo is dispossessed in attack and it goes out for what looks like it should be a corner, but the ref points for a goal kick.
1 min: And they’re off! The US attacking from left to right in white shirts with blue sleeves, Portugal from right to left in familiar all-red strips.
A bit of history today for the United States. Midfielder Tyler Adams (18 years, 273 days) becomes the first player born in 1999 to feature for the United States and is the second youngest to earn a cap in 2017 after Christian Pulisic (18 years, 187 days v Honduras in March). He’s making his international debut alongside 19-year-old Weston McKennie.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the #USMNT started two teenagers in the same match, both earning their first cap. Previously …
— Elias Sports Bureau (@EliasSports) November 14, 2017
1928 vs ARG: Henry Carroll & Rudy Kuntner
1977 vs SLV: Rick Davis & Gary Etherington
1988 vs GUA: @JeffAgoos, Mike Constantino, Mark Santel
The teams!
Here’s a look at today’s teams. Veteran Danny Williams, who is making his first appearance for the United States since a 2016 friendly draw against New Zealand, will wear the captain’s armband for the first time.
Portugal
Beto; Semedo, Pepe, Ferreira, Antunes; Pereira, B. Fernandes, M. Fernandes, Guedes, Bruma, Martins
USA
Horvath; Yedlin, Brooks, Miazga, Lichaj; Adams, McKennie, Williams, Acosta; Sapong, Agudelo
Hello and welcome today’s friendly between Portugal and the United States at the Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa. It’s the first match for the US team since their shocking setback at Trinidad & Tobago five weeks ago that left them out of the World Cup for the first time in 32 years.
Acting head coach Dave Sarachan has called up a handful of veterans including Alejandro Bedoya, DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, Tim Ream, Jorge Villafaña, but mostly American fans can expect a look at the future.
Today’s match had been initially scheduled to take place at the Algarve Stadium, but was subsequently moved to the Leiria district, much of which was devastated by wildfires this year. A telethon will be conducted during the match to drum up assistance for the victims.
Kick-off is just over 20 minutes away. We’ll be back with the teams shortly.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look back at Christian Pulisic’s postmortem of the USA’s developmental woes.