The United States kicks off the first of two away friendlies tomorrow when they play Portugal. It’s been 17 years since the two teams have played, despite the US taking regular trips to Portugal when they participated in the Algarve Cup.
Portugal itself is a team on the rise; in their most recent Algarve Cup, they got multiple results, including a tie and a win against Australia, who played a mostly full-strength lineup. Sure that win was in terrible weather conditions, but Portugal also got results against China and Norway, which places them among a tier of teams that, under the right conditions, can fight the US to a standstill, although probably not for a full 90.