For the second time in four days, the USWNT is set to face Portugal on Sunday. This game comes just a few days after a surprising 2-1 to the Portuguese on Thursday to open a three-game international window for Emma Hayes’ team.
Thursday’s game got off to a good start for the Americans. Rose Lavelle scored, albeit from what appeared to be an offside position, just 33 seconds into the match. However, that turned out to be one of the few highlights for the U.S. Portugal scored twice, with both goals coming off set-piece opportunities, to turn things around and earn a 2-1 win.
For Portugal, the win snapped an eight-match winless streak, getting outscored 28-5 during that stretch. Yet, they were undoubtedly the better side on Thursday, surprising the USWNT with their formation and aggressiveness. In the end, the USWNT got bullied, showing some of its youthfulness. That makes Sunday’s game all the more interesting, as Hayes looks for a response from her players.
How to Watch USWNT vs Portugal
Time: Sunday, October 26, 4:00 PM, ET
Venue: Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, Connecticut
TV/streaming: TNT, TruTV, and HBOMax in English | Universo and Peacock in Spanish
USWNT vs Portugal Projected Lineup
Conventional wisdom says that Hayes is going to make some changes to her lineup for Sunday’s game. Not only is there a quick turnaround, but she can’t be happy with the performance, so she will surely be eager to get players who didn’t start on Thursday an opportunity to showcase themselves.
USMNT Lineup (4-3-3, right to left)
Phallon Tullis-Joyce (GK) - Avery Patterson, Jordyn Bugg, Emily Sams, Lilly Reale - Claire Hutton, Olivia Moultrie, Lily Yohannes - Ally Sentnor, Catarina Macario, Yazmeen Ryan
Portugal Lineup (4-3-1–2, right to left)
Ines Pereira(GK) - Catarina Amado, Carolina Correia, Diana Gomes, Lucia Alves - Andreia Jacinto, Fatima Pinto, Tatiana Pinto - Andreia Norton - Jessica Silva, Ana Capeta
USWNT vs Portugal prediction
If there’s one thing we learned from Thursday’s game, it’s that playing Portugal won’t be a walk in the park. They looked nothing like the side that was on the wrong end of lopsided results against the likes of Spain and England earlier this season. They looked more like the team that nearly knocked off the U.S. during the 2023 World Cup.
That being said, there’s every reason to expect a positive response from the USWNT after Thursday’s loss. That game will surely be a wake-up call for the Americans. Hayes should have the attention of the squad and come up with a tactical response to what the Portuguese did on Thursday.
Nothing is going to come easy, but even more shocking than one loss to Portugal would be back-to-back losses to Portugal. Another loss on Sunday would signal a deeper issue with the squad. But for now, it’s safe to trust the USWNT to respond appropriately and come away with a win on Sunday.
Prediction: USA 2, Portugal 1