The U.S. men’s national team did not take its chances in Saturday’s loss against Belgium, a theme that cannot continue if the squad wants to rebound on Tuesday night against Portugal. Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that his team can play with more intensity against the visiting Portuguese and also make the most of their final-third opportunities at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The USMNT held their own for 45 minutes against the Belgians before a second-half onslaught led to the Americans eventually suffering a 5-2 home loss.Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic all saw first-half scoring chances go astray before Belgium flipped the script after halftime to take full advantage of the match. Despite McKennie’s opening goal and Patrick Agyemang’s late consolation, the Americans were second-best in most categories, succumbing to their first loss since last-September. Pochettino believes his squad did well against the No. 9-ranked team in the world, but missed opportunities cost them in the final scoreline. “Until we conceded the third goal, I think we did very well with Belgium,” Pochettino said Monday in his prematch press conference. “After the big chance [for] Christian inside of the box, we concede the [second] goal. And then, another chance that we create with [Tim] Weah, and then we concede the penalty. And this moment was really tough for us.”The aforementioned 27-year-old Pulisic endured another quiet performance in a USMNT shirt, watching his goal-less streak extend to three months for club and country. Pulisic’s last international goal came back in November 2024 while at club level, he hasn’t scored since December 28 in all competitions. Although his work rate and commitment to the USMNT remain clearly visible, Pulisic’s drought is worrying with the FIFA World Cup less than three months away. Pochettino hinted that a tactical shift may occur on Tuesday night in order to get his star attacker back on track again. “We know that [Christian] can score, but maybe tomorrow [they could try] to help him to start,” Pochettino said. “Maybe we help a little bit to [get him] a little bit more closer to the goal. That is an idea after Saturday that is in my mind.“We need to assess with the medical staff and the coaching staff and the player,” he added. Tuesday’s showdown will be the first between the USMNT and Portugal since the two countries played out a 1-1 draw back in November 2017.