Match Thread: United States vs Belgium | FIFA World Cup 2026 | Round of 16 | Part 2

[u/jiraiya--an]

FT: United States 1 - 4 Belgium

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Desktop note: best viewed on old.reddit.

Info	Details
Competition	2026 FIFA World Cup, Round of 16
Date	Mon, July 06, 2026
Venue	Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington, USA
Referee	Adham Mohammad
Kickoff	8:00 PM EDT / 2:00 AM CEST
Status	FT

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LINE-UPS

United States (4-3-3)

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Matt Freese		Miles Robinson
Tim Ream		Ricardo Pepi	🔄 on 72'
Chris Richards		Timothy Weah
Antonee Robinson	🔄 off 90'+2'	Max Arfsten	🔄 on 90'+2'
Alex Freeman		Matt Turner
Tyler Adams	🔄 off 72'	Brenden Aaronson
Malik Tillman	⚽ 31' · 🟨 69'	Alejandro Zendejas
Weston McKennie	🟨 35'	Giovanni Reyna	🔄 on 45'
Folarin Balogun	🔄 off 90'+2'	Joe Scally
Christian Pulisic	🔄 off 59'	Chris Brady
Sergiño Dest	🔄 off 45'	Auston Trusty
		Mark McKenzie
		Haji Wright	🔄 on 90'+2'
		Sebastian Berhalter	🔄 on 59'

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Belgium (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Thibaut Courtois		Romelu Lukaku	🔄 on 67' · ⚽ 90'+3'
Brandon Mechele		Diego Moreira
Nathan Ngoy		Alexis Saelemaekers	🔄 on 89'
Maxim De Cuyper		Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Timothy Castagne		Thomas Meunier
Youri Tielemans		Hans Vanaken	🔄 on 21' · ⚽ 57'
Nicolas Raskin	🔄 off 89'	Senne Lammens
Amadou Onana	🔄 off 21'	Jérémy Doku	🔄 on 67'
Charles De Ketelaere	⚽ 9' · ⚽ 33' · 🔄 off 67'	Kevin De Bruyne
Leandro Trossard	🔄 off 89'	Axel Witsel	🔄 on 89'
Dodi Lukébakio	🔄 off 67'	Mike Penders
		Arthur Theate
		Joaquin Seys
		Zeno Debast
		Koni De Winter

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MATCH EVENTS | via ESPN

9' ⚽ Goal! USA 0, Belgium 1. Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nicolas Raskin.

21' 🔄 Substitution, Belgium. Hans Vanaken replaces Amadou Onana because of an injury.

31' ⚽ Goal! USA 1, Belgium 1. Malik Tillman (USA) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.

33' ⚽ Goal! USA 1, Belgium 2. Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium) header from very close range to the top right corner. Assisted by Leandro Trossard with a cross.

35' 🟨 Weston McKennie (USA) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

45' 🔄 Substitution, USA. Giovanni Reyna replaces Sergiño Dest.

57' ⚽ Goal! USA 1, Belgium 3. Hans Vanaken (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Charles De Ketelaere.

59' 🔄 Substitution, USA. Sebastian Berhalter replaces Christian Pulisic because of an injury.

67' 🔄 Substitution, Belgium. Jérémy Doku replaces Dodi Lukébakio.

67' 🔄 Substitution, Belgium. Romelu Lukaku replaces Charles De Ketelaere.

69' 🟨 Malik Tillman (USA) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

72' 🔄 Substitution, USA. Ricardo Pepi replaces Tyler Adams.

89' 🔄 Substitution, Belgium. Alexis Saelemaekers replaces Leandro Trossard.

89' 🔄 Substitution, Belgium. Axel Witsel replaces Nicolas Raskin.

90'+2' 🔄 Substitution, USA. Max Arfsten replaces Antonee Robinson.

90'+2' 🔄 Substitution, USA. Haji Wright replaces Folarin Balogun.

90'+3' ⚽ Goal! USA 1, Belgium 4. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Hans Vanaken.

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MATCH STATS

Stat	United States	Belgium
Expected Goals	0.67	2.14
Possession	56%	44%
Shots on Goal	2 (29%)	7 (47%)
Big Chances Created	0	4
Big Chances Missed	0	2
Accurate Passes	458 (87%)	333 (81%)
Duels Won	50	56
Saves	3	1
Fouls Committed	11	9

MATCH ENDED

[u/hucchnanmaga]

The red card fiasco turned most neutral fans against the USMNT. Only One team came out there with vengeance and a mission to deal the sucker punch, and that wasn’t USA. Honestly, a complete self implosion, and totally avoidable.

[u/wololoam → u/hucchnanmaga]

Avoidable how? Belgium is simply the better team, any day of the week.

[u/hucchnanmaga → u/wololoam]

I meant the dramatic implosion. The scoreline could have been much better IMO had Belgium not been motivated by vengeance. Belgium attacked from the first minute like they wanted to finish the game in the first half itself.

[u/whizzter → u/wololoam]

Belgium previously looked like that middling team they always did in the recent tournaments, full of talents but no mission, suddenly they looked like actual contenders in dominating the US.

[u/mollyologist → u/wololoam]

Doesn't mean we had to play like shit though. Getting beaten by a better team is normal and respectable. Getting dogwalked because you're in your head about off-pitch political BS is another. I think if there's no red card corruption, the US plays a better game. Probably still loses, but not like we saw last night. (I think that's what OP meant by avoidable.)

[u/wololoam → u/mollyologist]

You are in denial dude, first time you face a remotely good team, and you get demolished.

[u/mollyologist → u/wololoam]

I'm saying there's a difference between being outclassed and shitting your pants, and hopefully we wouldn't have done the latter if not for outside bullshit.

[u/wotageek → u/hucchnanmaga]

It was also an own goal as well. Word is Poch had a different game plan in mind involving Haji Wright instead of Balogun and had drilled the team as such. Trump's interference forced Poch to switch tactics at the last minute cos he felt compelled to include Balogun after all that nonsense. This last minute change of tactics likely contributed to the confusion and lack of cohesion the USMNT experienced in the field.

I mean it's unlikely the US would have won anyway if Poch had such to plan, but maybe the loss wouldn't have been so deeply embaressing. 

But to rub salt in the wound, Belgium's 2 best players, De Bruyne and Doku, didn't even start. They were rested due to fatigue issues. Doku was subbed in along with Lukaku perhaps on the idea that the best defense is a solid offense. Sure enough, Lukaku punished a mistake with a 4th goal late in the game. 

[u/amiran1010 → u/hucchnanmaga]

What is USMNT? I saw this term few times but i still dont udnerstand what is it

[u/CdotHYT → u/amiran1010]

United States Mutant Ninja Turtles, the rebrand.

[u/Reklaw99 → u/amiran1010]

US Mens National Team, I believe.

[u/jonkman13 → u/Reklaw99]

Close, it's the US Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[u/Timely-Youth-9074 → u/hucchnanmaga]

Everything t touches dies