The United States men’s national team plays Senegal on Sunday, May 31, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, in its first of two home friendlies before the 2026 World Cup. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, with NBC Universo carrying the match and Peacock listed as the streaming option in Spanish.
That is why Christian Pulisic is in focus again. He has gone 21 appearances for club and country without a goal, a run that hangs over a U.S. side trying to reset after March losses to Belgium and Portugal snapped an unbeaten stretch. The Americans are not just meeting a name opponent; they are trying to show they can handle one of the toughest tests in this camp while sorting out form, finishing and the shape of the lineup.
Senegal has earned that reputation. The African power beat Peru and The Gambia in March friendlies and brings a squad that includes Sadio Mane, Nicholas Jackson, Edouard Mendy, Ismaila Sarr, Mamadou Sarr, Malick Diouf, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Habib Diarra, Iliman Ndiaye and Pape Matar Sarr. Pape Thiaw is also bringing Kalidou Koulibaly in his provisional World Cup squad, even if the defender is not expected to be ready soon and remains an uncertainty for the tournament.
The U.S. has a few questions of its own. Chris Richards returned to Crystal Palace’s bench for the Conference League win over Rayo Vallecano and did not get off it, while the goalkeeper job appears to be down to Matt Turner or Matt Freese. Those details matter because this is the first real checkpoint of the summer, and the teams are meeting for the first time since March.
That makes Sunday less like a tune-up than a test of where the Americans stand before Germany comes next. If Pulisic still is searching for a goal and the U.S. still is searching for clean answers in goal and across the back line, Senegal should make both searches harder, not easier.
