United States given World Cup wake-up call

With little over two months to go until the start of the 2026 World Cup, the March international break had been billed as a key staging post for a USMNT side looking to make a mark on the world stage. A comprehensive 5-2 loss to Belgium showed that there is still plenty of work to do for head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The US began with a strong starting XI, looking to build familiarity ahead of this summer’s landmark tournament, and the starters acquitted themselves fairly well in the opening 45. But in the second half the superior quality of the Belgians showed, taking advantage of a few defensive lapses from the USMNT to run up a resounding scoreline.

USMNT 2-5 Belgium: As it happened

There were early sighters for both sides, with both goalkeepers reacting sharply to keep the scores level. Weston McKennie found space at a corner kick and prompted a brilliant close-range stop from Lammens. Likewise, Turner did well to prevent a deflected Kevin De Bruyne strike from spinning into the back of the net.

The breakthrough came in the 38th minute from McKennie, who flicked the ball past Lammens. The home crowd was jubilant, their team deservedly ahead, but Belgium struck back before the break.

It was Jeremy Doku who forged the opening, gliding past Weah to force a save from Turner. The rebound fell to Zeno Debast, standing 35 yards from goal, and the right back fired the ball into the bottom corner from distance. Turner’s spot in the USMNT starting XI has been a matter of some contention and Debast’s goal will do little to convince Turner’s doubters that he is the man for the job.

Belgium took the lead early in the second half, Amadou Onana placing the ball into the bottom corner after a goalmouth scramble in the US box. The Belgian lead was doubled soon after when the ball struck Tim Ream’s hand on the edge of the six-yard box. Referee Esteban Ostojich pointed to the spot and Charles De Ketelaere stoked the ball home.

A flurry of changes from both sides killed some of the game’s flow but Belgium still had the quality to cause problems. In the 67th minute substitute Dodi Lukebakio picked up the ball on the right flank, glided past Max Arfsen and curled the ball into the far top corner. Lukebakio scored Belgium’s fifth with ten minutes remaining and there were audible boos from the home crowd in Atlanta.

There was some reason for cheer late on when substitutes Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang combined to punish Youri Tielemans for a loose touch inside his own penalty box. But that late glimmer of hope will do little to lighten the mood after a disappointing performance from Pochettino’s side. With only three days before the Tuesday night meeting with Portugal, Pochettino is expected to make changes to his team. He will hope to see some significant change in the performance, too.

Pulisic: “Things are gonna change”

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