The United States men's nationalist squad volition beryllium facing its biggest situation yet with a Round of 16 lucifer against Belgium connected Monday. A triumph successful Seattle would nonstop the U.S. to the quarterfinals, which would lucifer the second-best World Cup effect successful the country's history.
But archetypal they'll person to get done Belgium, a beardown UEFA squad with a caller past of success. Here are 5 things to cognize astir the Red Devils earlier Monday night’s matchup.
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1. Belgium is 2 World Cups removed from its champion finish
Compared to immoderate of the different European powerhouses, Belgium's occurrence has been much nascent. Despite appearing successful the first-ever World Cup successful 1930, and being a regular subordinate successful the years since, the Red Devils person seldom made it past the archetypal knockout round. There are 2 wide exceptions: 2 semifinal appearances, 1 successful 1986 and 2018.
The 2018 World Cup was a crowning accomplishment for Belgium. The squad ended successful 3rd place, its champion decorativeness ever, winning six of their 7 games — including 2 wins implicit England (one successful the radical stage, 1 successful the third-place match) and knockout wins implicit Japan and Brazil. Their lone nonaccomplishment came successful the semifinals to France, which went connected to triumph it all.
2. Belgium defeated the USMNT successful March
It hasn't been precise agelong astatine each since these 2 sides past met: In March, the U.S. hosted Belgium for a friendly. Unfortunately, the crippled did not spell the USA’s way, arsenic the Red Devils crushed the Americans with a 5-2 victory. Though Weston McKennie sent the USMNT up successful the archetypal half, the U.S. conceded each 5 of Belgium's goals successful a row, successful a nonaccomplishment that caput manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted was "painful."
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But that was then, and this is now. Given that it was a friendly, the lineups and rosters looked beauteous antithetic arsenic some teams tested retired their benches; a fig of the USMNT's existent starters weren't adjacent astatine the March grooming camp. Still, it's a notable starting constituent for the Round of 16.
Can Belgium flooded the USMNT's home-field vantage Monday successful their World Cup Round of 16 showdown successful Seattle?
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
3. The Red Devils caput into this crippled connected a scoring blistery streak — and a streak of bully luck
The archetypal 2 games of the radical signifier were a spot of a disappointment for Belgium, with 2 draws against Egypt and Iran. They besides had failed to actively people a goal: Their extremity against Egypt, which forced a 1-1 draw, was technically an ain goal.
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But a ascendant 5-1 triumph implicit New Zealand to adjacent the radical signifier opened the team's violative floodgates, arsenic Leandro Trossard ended with a brace and an assistance alongside 3 different goalscorers.
In Belgium's Round of 32 game against Senegal, it concisely looked similar the squad had gone acold again arsenic the Lions of Teranga took a 2-0 pb aboriginal successful the 2nd half. But Belgium rallied, scoring 2 goals successful 3 minutes arsenic regularisation expired to unit other time. The Red Devils past won the crippled disconnected a punishment called precise precocious successful other time, with skipper Youri Tielemans nailing the PK for his 2nd extremity of the night. The melodramatic 3-2 triumph was capable to nonstop the squad connected to the adjacent round.
4. Belgium enters the crippled with its ain benignant of home-field advantage
With the Round of 16 crippled taking spot successful Seattle, expect fans of the United States to beryllium retired successful afloat force. But ironically, it'll beryllium Belgium heading into this crippled with Seattle arsenic its location base. Unlike astir teams who person had to alert each implicit the country, Belgium has played the World Cup gully to perfection, picking Renton, Washington, arsenic a basal campy connected the mode to radical signifier games successful Seattle, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
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Monday volition beryllium the Red Devils' 3rd crippled successful Seattle, aft playing the radical signifier opener and the Round of 32 crippled there. And portion the USMNT was based successful Irvine, California, for the radical stage, Belgium has been practicing conscionable a leap distant from Seattle Stadium, astatine the Seattle Sounders' grooming crushed successful adjacent Renton.
Though the Red Devils are playing with 120 minutes nether their legs portion the U.S. won their crippled successful regulation, the determination gives the Red Devils a flimsy vantage implicit the USMNT, which has been traveling backmost and distant on the West Coast for the past respective weeks.
5. Belgium's roster is bolstered by a waning "Golden Generation"
The Red Devils' 2018 effect came acknowledgment to what galore person called Belgium's "Golden Generation" — a batch of incredibly talented players who formed Belgium's squad successful 2018. But by 2022, hopes that Belgium could repetition that occurrence had faltered, arsenic the squad couldn't marque it retired of the radical stage.
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Some players from that 2018 squad, similar Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany, person retired. Others person seen their roles reduced: Romelu Lukaku, the country's all-time starring scorer, has gone from starter to sub, utilized by the squad arsenic a second-half weapon. Kevin De Bruyne, inactive 1 of the team's astir celebrated players astatine 35 years old, was subbed disconnected comparatively aboriginal successful Belgium's triumph implicit Senegal successful a motion of the leafage turning. (Thibaut Courtois, though, is inactive successful the nett for the Red Devils, starting arsenic the first-choice goalkeeper for the 4th consecutive World Cup.)
Younger up-and-comers are filling retired this Belgium squad like, lightning-fast 24-year-old guardant Jérémy Doku, oregon 2018 benchwarmer-turned-2026 skipper Tielemans. The content is that Belgium's model to triumph a World Cup whitethorn person closed aft 2022, though this squad volition surely effort its champion to beryllium that mentation wrong.
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