The USWNT plays Portugal on Sunday, a few days after the United States lost the first friendly between the two teams.

"We just haven't played together for a long time, I didn't recognize us," manager Emma Hayes said following the match. "I felt that we rushed everything. We didn't look like the team that we've been working on,

The US Women’s National Team kicked off a busy autumn schedule with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Portugal. The team has the opportunity to avenge this defeat as they take on the Portuguese side two days later, before finishing a three-game run of matches in Kansas against New Zealand.

For the first time in her 17 months in charge, Hayes watched her players try to solve problems as individuals rather than as a collective.

Just three days after their worst performance under head coach Emma Hayes, the U.S. women's national team burst back into life with a rejuvenating 3-1 win over Portugal. What made it all the sweeter was the USA's young stars,

The USWNT's surprising loss to Portugal came from players who admit they were "on islands" and "trying to fix it on their own."

The United States women's national team fell 2–1 to Portugal in an international friendly Thursday night in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Olivia Moultrie #13 of the United States celebrates scoring a goal in the first half with Lily Yohannes #7 of the United States during an international friendly vs Portugal at Pratt & Whitney Stadium on October 26, 2025 in East Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

U.S. Soccer honored the career of Alex Morgan on Thursday as the USWNT faced Portugal at the same stadium where Morgan scored the first of her 123 international goals.