USA vs. Senegal live updates: Lineups, how to watch, score, latest news from pre-World Cup friendly

Habib Diarra gets the running assist to Sadio Mané who slots it past Matt Turner and into the goal. That felt a bit inevitable for Senegal, who has been ramping up the pressure and breaking through the U.S. back line for the past ten minutes.

Senegal is knocking on the door late in this first half, getting several key opportunities to score. There was a dangerous free kick outside the box, but it’s well defended by the U.S., who even starts to get a breakaway.

Iliman Ndiaye then broke away for a big chance with about ten minutes left in the half, and Nicolas Jackson had another potential run about five minutes later. Senegal has had three corner kicks in the past several minutes, keeping up the energy and the urgency while pushing against the USMNT’s defense.

Close chance there for Antonee Robinson, who gets off a strong strike from outside the box, but Senegal defender Mamadou Sarr blocks it and sends it out for a corner. Robinson immediately bends over in frustration — so close.

Christian Pulisic finally — finally! — has a goal. The forward puts the USMNT up 2-0 with a gorgeous shot from near the end line.

Alex Freeman finds Ricardo Pepi, who hits a perfect ball in to Pulisic, who slices a shot back past Senegal keeper Mory Diaw. That breaks a five-month scoring drought for club and country, and also marks Pulisic’s first U.S. goal since 2024.

That was awfully close for Senegal, who gets a very good chance at an equalizer after weaving through the U.S. back line. Nicolas Jackson’s shot goes high, though, and the USMNT holds the lead for now.

Tensions are rising a little early, as Tyler Adams and Senegal captain Sadio Mané get in each other’s faces and their teams come over to support. Moments earlier, Mané had gotten tripped up in the box on a save from Matt Turner; it’s unclear if that contact was relevant to what Adams and Mané were talking about.

Either way, the referee gives them both a talking to and the game continues.

The U.S. only needed six minutes to find the back of the net, with a beautiful progression leading to an opening goal. Ricardo Pepi’s spin move gets the ball to Christian Pulisic, who crosses it to Sergiño Dest, who is able to easily score. A great start for the USMNT.

Things are underway in Charlotte, with the U.S. hoping to start this run to the World Cup on a positive note.

Senegal go with a strong, athletic XI led by Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye, and on paper they match up well with the U.S. in pace and attacking talent while offering a more physical, direct threat in transition.

Senegal (3-4-3): Mory Diaw; Mamadou Sarr, Abdoulaye Seck, Ismail Jakobs; Krépin Diatta, Lamine Camara, Bara S. Ndiaye, Habib Diarra; Iliman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson, Sadio Mané.

Sunday’s game is taking place in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, which is normally a turf field, but was covered in a layer of grass ahead of the friendly.

Admittedly, it doesn’t seem to be the most typical, high-quality surface. In a video from TopBin90, the Senegalese team started testing out the pitch’s bounce, with the ball quickly going dead after being thrown high in the air.

But since the viral video has caused some concerns: Bank of America Stadium is NOT hosting any World Cup games, and the grass pitches laid down at the host sites are different than the one in Charlotte today.

The U.S. lineup is out, and it’s a strong attacking group from Mauricio Pochettino, with Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Ricardo Pepi all starting, however, Folarin Balogun’s absence means it’s not quite a full-strength look up top. It still points to the core creative group Pochettino is leaning on, built around chance creation and linking play in the final third.

At the back, things are still being figured out. Chris Richards is out, so Tim Ream captains the side next to Mark McKenzie and Alex Freeman, with the fullback spots still providing some attacking punch from Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson. Big picture: the attack looks close to settled, but the defense is still very much a work in progress.

USA (3-4-2-1): Matt Turner; Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Alex Freeman; Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Sergiño Dest; Tim Ream, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna; Ricardo Pepi

Less than a week after the United States roster was officially announced, the team is set to take the field as a unit for the first time against Senegal. As selected by head coach Mauricio Pochettino, about half of the U.S. squad has never been to the World Cup, but all have been consistently in the national team mix over the past few years.

The USMNT will be led by veteran defender Tim Ream, who was announced as the team’s captain yesterday. Ream, a defender for Charlotte FC, will have the armband in his home stadium on Sunday to kick things off.

Hello and welcome to Yahoo Sports’ live coverage of USA vs. Senegal.

The World Cup is almost here, and it all starts to really ramp up today as the USMNT takes on a hot Senegal side in Sunday’s friendly. Senegal comes in on strong form and look like a serious test for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad as final preparations continue for the tournament.

We’ll be following the match live right here with updates, highlights, stats and analysis as it unfolds, plus reaction and reporting from our team on the ground in Charlotte.

Follow along and enjoy the ride