USA midfielder Michael Bradley has admitted that his teammates were aware that they couldn't play flowing football in order to win their World Cup opener against Ghana.
John Brooks's late goal was enough to help the Stars and Stripes beat the Black Stars 2-1 in a tight encounter on Tuesday.
However, speaking ahead of his side's second Group G match with Portugal, Bradley suggested that the States understand how to grind out results.
He told reporters: "I think as a team we realised at a certain point that it wasn't going it be a night for making a million passes or necessarily playing the most beautiful soccer.
"When you talk about the best teams, there's an ability to win games in all different ways."
The last time both side met in a competitive international, the US beat Portugal 3-2 at the 2002 World Cup, with the European giants crashing out of the group stage on that occasion.
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Netherlands
Senegal
Ecuador
Qatar
England
USA
Iran
Wales
Argentina
Poland
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
France
Australia
Tunisia
Denmark
Japan
Spain
Germany
Costa Rica
Morocco
Croatia
Belgium
Canada
Brazil
Switzerland
Cameroon
Serbia
Portugal
South Korea
Uruguay
Ghana
