USMNT handed pre-World Cup ‘actuality test’ in rout by Belgium
The United States males’s nationwide staff suffered a setback in its preparations for the World Cup as Belgium ran rampant within the second half to emerge with a 5-2 win at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.
The U.S. had not misplaced by three objectives in a house sport through which it scored the opening aim since an 8-1 defeat to England in 1959, in accordance with Opta.
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“It’s a good reality check for us,” Pochettino mentioned at a information convention.
“I think we need competitive games to arrive to the World Cup in our best,” he added. “I think we cannot arrive with the wrong idea that we are so good, we are so handsome, we are so well-dressed and we are Americans.
“And it is good to really feel that, but when we need to win the World Cup, if we need to go subsequent to the following station within the group and we need to beat Paraguay, do you suppose that they don’t seem to be going to struggle?”
Weston McKennie began for the U.S. and scored the opening aim within the thirty ninth minute off Antonee Robinson‘s nook. It was McKennie’s twelfth worldwide aim and first in three years.
But Zeno Debast scored a long-range equalizer for Belgium right before halftime, and the No. 9-ranked visitors scored three more times in a 15-minute span in the second half to expose some defensive vulnerabilities for Pochettino’s side.
Amadou Onana scored within the 53rd minute, and Charles De Ketelaere elevated Belgium’s result in 3-1 with a penalty kick within the 59th minute. Dodi Lukebakio beat goalkeeper Matt Turner with a curling effort into the top corner to push the lead to 4-1.
Lukebakio added his second goal of the match in the 82nd minute as some fans among the largely pro-American crowd of 66,867 exited. U.S. substitute Patrick Agyemang scored in the 87th minute.
The loss snapped the U.S.’s five-game unbeaten streak, which was tied for the best run of Pochettino’s tenure.
While acknowledging it was a humbling result for his side, Pochettino insisted there was no need to panic just over two months before the World Cup begins.
“I feel it is the very last thing to be involved concerning the World Cup,” he said.
“I feel that, after all, 5-2 is all the time tough to just accept. It’s painful, however on the similar time, I feel we have to take so many optimistic issues. The first half was actually good. I feel we actually play higher than Belgium.
“I think we create chances to finish the 45 minutes in a positive way, but we concede in the last action of the first half, and then there was an impact. And it’s true that after the second half, it really was difficult for us.”
Christian Pulisic did not convert a number of good scoring possibilities. He entered scoreless in his previous 12 video games with AC Milan and prolonged his U.S. aim drought to seven video games since November 2024.
“Of course, I’m disappointed. I have to finish my chances,” Pulisic mentioned. “They aren’t easy chances, but at certain moments, that I expect to do better, for sure.”
Last fall’s unbeaten streak included wins over Japan (at the moment No. 18), Australia (27), Paraguay (38) and Uruguay (17), plus a draw vs. Ecuador (23). The U.S. performs No. 5 Portugal on Tuesday in its final sport earlier than Pochettino declares his World Cup roster on the finish of May.
“We have to beat teams like this if we want to have a chance to go far in the tournament,” Pulisic mentioned.
Injuries to Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards and Miles Robinson left the Fifteenth-ranked U.S. short-handed in protection, whereas midfielder Tyler Adams was additionally unavailable Saturday. As a end result, Tim Weah began at proper again and struggled towards Belgium’s Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku.
It was additionally a irritating afternoon for Turner, the previous No. 1 American goalkeeper who made his first look since final June. Left again Antonee Robinson was making his first look since Nov. 18, 2024, due to harm.
“We didn’t defend our box well enough,” Turner mentioned. “That’s something that we cannot have. We can’t accept that we didn’t lay everything on the line to keep the ball out of the back of the net because that’s when our tails should be up the most.”
Belgium was lacking striker Romelu Lukaku, midfielders Leandro Trossard and Hans Vanaken and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to accidents and health points. The Red Devils play Mexico in Chicago on Tuesday.
“This team is better than the result,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mentioned of the U.S. “We started bad, but also because the USA was more aggressive than us.”
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
