The cup
FIFA WC: USA Chase A First Quarterfinal Since 2002 (Preview)
Belgium have won six of them, with the USA's only victory coming all the way back in the very first World Cup ever played, a 3-0 win in 1930. Their last World Cup meeting was the heartbreaker: a 2-1 extra-time loss in the 2014 Round of 16, remembered as much for Tim Howard's tournament-record 15 saves as for the result. The most recent meeting was even more recent than that -- Belgium beat this USA side 5-2 in a pre-tournament friendly in Atlanta, this past March.
USA's build-up took an odd turn after Folarin Balogun was sent off in the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina -- a decision manager Mauricio Pochettino called incorrect. FIFA agreed and suspended the red card, meaning Balogun, USA's leading scorer with three goals this tournament, is available again. Getting him back is a bigger deal than it might look on paper; it restores the exact attacking shape Pochettino built around him, rather than leaving the USA to make do with a direct replacement.
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- 06 Jul 2026 09:14
