The World Cup looms larger and larger on the horizon, but there may be some concerns surrounding the co-host’s chances. In a good-then-bad performance, the United States Men’s National Team dropped a friendly decision to Belgium, 5-2, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. An early goal from Weston McKennie only served to stoke the fire of the European opponent, which responded with the expected class of a side currently ranked tenth in the world.
Mauricio Pochettino put out a decent lineup
with Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, and Weston McKennie in the attacking spots. Johnny Cardoso and Tanner Tessmann patrolled the midfield, while Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, and Tim Weah anchored the formation. In what is probably the biggest positional battle, Matt Turner got the nod in goal over Matt Freese.
The first half opened into a fairly back-and-forth affair, with both sides having their chances in a flurry of action. Belgium was able to put several shots on goal and test Turner, creating chances from sustained possession but looking a bit unsettled by the opposition. The charging USMNT had a massive chance stopped in the 17th minute, as a corner landed at the feet of Weston McKennie, whose close-range settle-and-volley was blocked by the flailing arm of Senne Lammens.
Following the opening hydration break, the pace of proceedings settled into a more controlled tempo, with Belgium having a potential De Ketelaere goal called back for a handball. The USMNT was able to draw first blood in the 39th minute from a corner. McKennie lost his mark with a peeling run off the back post and into the middle, using the most delicate of touches to redirect Robinson’s curling service into the back of the net.
The Red Devils evened things up just before halftime. Jérémy Doku’s attempt from the left was stopped by Turner. However, the ball landed at the feet of Zeno Debast, whose long-range blast passed through the crowd and just out of the goalkeeper’s grasp into the bottom corner.
Imbued with fresh momentum, Belgium continued to push. Doku made constant forays into the box and caused problems. Turner was called into action before the whistle blew, undoubtedly rescuing the USMNT from what was sure to be an impending deficit.
The second half opened with a single change. Cristian Roldan entered the match for Cardoso, likely a tactical choice. Paul Tenorio of The Athletic described the latter’s performance as “fine” without “any major mistakes” but “not shining either.”
Belgium got off to a fast start and took advantage of some poor defending. Doku was once again the danger man, driving almost to the endline before finding Alexis Saelemaekers. The Milan striker found Amadou Onana at the top of the box, who calmly slotted his shot into the bottom right corner of the net for his first international finish.
The visitors began to turn up the heat and were rewarded with a penalty when Thomas Meunier’s header was deflected by Tim Ream’s arm. After a VAR check, the referee confirmed the decision for a spot-kick. Charles De Ketelaere calmly sent Turner the wrong way and secured a two-goal lead for his side.
The story got worse in the 68th minute. Dodi Lukébakio found himself one-on-one on the right wing against Max Arfsten. The Benfica attacker made quick work of his opponent with a quick stutter step and cut into the box. His left-footed attempt sailed past Turner, who once again came up short on his dive and was forced to question his teammates.
With a three-goal lead and a flurry of substitutions, the match should have eased to a disjointed finish. However, Belgium found the back of the net once more. Timothy Castagne charged up the field, was fed deep in the box, and played a pass back across, which Sebastian Berhalter found himself unable to clear. Lukébakio was there to convert and picked up his brace.
The USMNT pulled one back in the 87th minute. With Belgium attempting to play the ball out of the base, Ricardo Pepi forced a turnover off a lackadaisical pass from Youri Tielemans. As he is wont to do, Patrick Agyemang found himself in the right position and calmly added to his growing goal tally for club and country.
With pride and potential roster inclusion up for grabs, both sides continued to push. However, an eighth combined goal never came as fans streamed out of their seats to beat the traffic. The referee blew his whistle, ending a disappointing showing that started in such promising fashion.
Pochettino’s tenure has been a slow climb with few true metrics of progress as the USMNT has missed out on some meaningful competition due to being exempt from qualifying. This was an intriguing performance for the first few stanzas, with some indication that the co-host is capable of going toe-to-toe with the power programs this summer. The initial potency and dynamism of the attack were a welcome sight, although, in addition to sustained quality, defending is an ongoing question, one that will need to be answered as champions are often the sides that can keep the ship afloat for the longest time. While Doku is a talented player, his ability to shred through the opposition portends potential issues, considering there will be several talents in the World Cup at or above his level.
The clear silver lining is McKennie, who put in a star turn in Atlanta and appears to be peaking at the perfect time. The Juventus midfielder will have to shoulder an enormous burden as one of the squad’s senior members, as singular performances can make the crucial difference in the cagier confines of the international game. With a few more teammates rising to his level, a deeper-than-expected tournament run may be in the cards.
The international window concludes with what should be another stern challenge, as the USMNT will take on Portugal. As is customary for visiting opponents, Seleção das Quinas is first facing off against Mexico for a double dose of CONCACAF action. The match is set for Tuesday, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium once again hosting proceedings.
