Belgium bounces United States from World Cup in Round of 16
The United States fell 4-1 to Belgium at Lumen Field, marking the second consecutive tournament the Americans were knocked out by the same opponent.
Belgium Bounces United States from World Cup in Round of 16
The United States' run as World Cup co-hosts ended Monday night in Seattle with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium. The loss at Lumen Field marks the second consecutive tournament where the Americans have been eliminated in the Round of 16 by the same opponent, repeating a failure from 2014 when Belgium won 2-1 in extra time.
Belgium dominated the match from the opening whistle. In the second minute, goalkeeper Matt Freese was forced to save a long-range curling shot from Timothy Castagne. The pressure resulted in a goal in the ninth minute; after a headed clearance by Alex Freeman fell in the box and was ignored by Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie, Nicolas Raskin set up Charles De Ketelaere for an easy finish.
The U.S. Struggled with a lack of intensity throughout the first half. According to coach Mauricio Pochettino, the team did not connect with the game from the beginning. Pochettino’s frustration was evident after Belgium's second goal, when he kicked a rack in front of the bench and sent four water bottles flying.
A brief revival occurred in the 29th minute when Folarin Balogun won a foul outside the box. Malik Tillman scored on the resulting free kick, his second in as many games, after the ball deflected off the Belgian wall to beat Thibaut Courtois. The equalizer brought the Seattle crowd into a frenzy, but the momentum lasted only 61 seconds. Leandro Trossard floated a cross into the box where De Ketelaere outmuscled and beat captain Tim Ream to head in his second goal of the night.
The half ended 2-1, with Belgium having excluded Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku from the starting XI. The U.S. Had also been hampered by a controversial FIFA decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game red-card ban, a move that drew comments from President Donald J. Trump. The Belgian federation had previously contested Balogun's eligibility.
Pochettino attempted to spark the offense in the second half by replacing Sergiño Dest with Gio Reyna. However, the match shifted further away from the U.S. In the 57th minute. Matt Freese came out of his box to control a long ball on his chest but hesitated, allowing Hans Vanaken to take the ball and shoot into an open net. Tim Ream’s off-balance jump-kick failed to stop the ball from trickling in for a 3-1 lead.
Injuries further depleted the American side. Christian Pulisic, who had been a standout in the 4-1 opening win over Paraguay, suffered a calf injury in the 54th minute after a challenge from Youri Tielemans. Pulisic was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter in the 59th minute.
Belgium’s depth proved decisive as Rudi Garcia brought on Romelu Lukaku and Jérémy Doku in the 67th minute. While the U.S. Created a late opportunity in the 82nd minute when Balogun charged toward goal, Courtois saved the shot. In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Lukaku capped the victory by curling a shot past Freese after getting past Chris Richards, finalizing the score at 4-1.
The exit concludes a tournament that began with promise, including a 2-0 win over Australia. With the U.S. Out, and Mexico and Canada also eliminated in the Round of 16, all six CONCACAF nations have been removed from the competition. All remaining quarterfinalists hail from Europe, South America, or Africa.
Belgium now advances to face Spain in the quarterfinals. The match is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. CT at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. A victory would place Belgium in a semifinal against either France or Morocco.
