{"id":26544,"date":"2026-07-06T04:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T04:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/26544\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T04:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T04:47:10","slug":"usa-vs-belgium-storylines-projected-lineup-predictions-for-world-cup-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/26544\/","title":{"rendered":"USA vs. Belgium: Storylines, Projected Lineup, Predictions For World Cup Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is big. Huge. Gigantic, actually. The U.S. men’s national team<\/a> is preparing to play arguably the biggest match in team history<\/a> on Monday, and the whole country will be watching.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the 2026 World Cup round of 16, the Stars and Stripes will take on Belgium in the knockout match in Seattle with an appearance in the quarterfinals on the line. Stakes could not be higher, and this is the match USA boss Mauricio Pochettino was hired to win<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here is everything to know about the USA’s round of 16 match against Belgium (8 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One) as the Americans play for a quarterfinals berth on home soil.<\/p>\n

\"United<\/a>Key Storyline: Toughest USA Test Yet<\/p>\n

Belgium is easily the best opponent the USA has faced at this World Cup, so while Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s defending and goalkeeping have been stout to this point, the game-changing likes of Manchester City winger J\u00e9r\u00e9my Doku present a significant threat in a one-and-done match.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Bob Kupbens\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Playing it in soccer-crazy Seattle is the great equalizer, though. Even if the Red Devils have a better roster from 1-26, the U.S. has enthralled in front of gigantic home crowds, scoring nine goals through four contests so far. The return of leading scorer Folarin Balogun<\/a> obviously helps. Christian Pulisic, slowed by a calf injury during the World Cup group stage, seems due for a defining performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Belgium is good. Beating it won\u2019t be easy. According to the oddsmakers, it\u2019s basically a coin-flip \u2014 though the Balogun news temporarily nudged the U.S. ahead on Sunday after it broke.\u00a0Sounds about right. \u2014 Doug McIntyre<\/p>\n

\"Folarin<\/a><\/p>\n

Given all the drama now surrounding this game, I am going with Folarin Balogun as the player to watch. As everyone knows by now, FIFA reversed his red card-mandated suspension<\/a> and the USA’s starting striker is now allowed to play vs. Belgium. He leads the team with three goals \u2014 and had a hand in forcing own goals vs. Paraguay and Australia \u2014 and has quickly become a crucial part of this team and its success. Not to mention a fan favorite.<\/p>\n

All eyes will be on Balo. LeBron James tweeted about him after his goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Supporters have been making “Free Balo” content the last few days, and his reinstatement has become the biggest storyline at the World Cup. Balogun told reporters last week before the round of 32 that this is the part of the tournament where “the big players step forward, and the big players carry the pressure and make things happen.” This is his moment, and the U.S. will need his attacking prowess and elite goal scoring ability to defeat Belgium and make it to the quarterfinals. \u2014 Laken Litman<\/p>\n

\"United<\/a>Projecting USA’s Starting Lineup<\/p>\n

Goalkeeper: Matt Freese<\/p>\n

Defender: Tim Ream<\/p>\n

Defender: Chris Richards<\/p>\n

Defender\/Right Back: Alex Freeman<\/p>\n

Left Back: Antonee “Jedi” Robinson<\/p>\n

Right Back\/Winger: Sergi\u00f1o Dest<\/p>\n

Midfielder: Tyler Adams<\/p>\n

Midfielder: Malik Tillman<\/p>\n

Midfielder: Weston McKennie<\/p>\n

Winger: Christian Pulisic<\/p>\n

Forward: Folarin Balogun<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Dave Bernal\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

It will be to nobody\u2019s surprise when Mauricio Pochettino rolls out the same USMNT starting lineup as the one in the 4-1 win over Paraguay<\/a> in the first group-stage match and the 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/a> in the round of 32. It was a surprise to everyone, however, that this was even an option for Pochettino until Sunday, when FIFA suspended the red-card suspension to Folarin Balogun<\/a> for the foul he committed in the second half of the win over Bosnia.<\/p>\n

This lineup has been excellent for Pochettino in the two games he was able to use it. It gives the U.S. team multiple points of attack. Balogun has three goals, and Pulisic is yet to score \u2013 but he has been very dangerous in opening space for his teammates. Meanwhile, Sergi\u00f1o Dest and Antonee Robinson have been able to get up the flanks.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of untapped potential with this lineup as well. Before the tournament began, it would have been hard to envision a scenario where the U.S. team could be successful through four games without a goal from Pulisic, Dest, McKennie or even Ricardo Pepi off the bench, but that has been the case. If those players can find the back of the net, the U.S. team will be in great shape. \u2014 Brian Sciaretta<\/p>\n

\"Belgium\"<\/a>What To Expect From Belgium<\/p>\n

Belgium has a right to be frustrated<\/a> with the surprising Balogun 180, but on the other hand, it\u2019s not like it won\u2019t have time to change the game plan. For me, it won\u2019t make a massive difference in terms of preparation. All you have to do is look at clips of the opponent, and you\u2019ll quickly recognize the differences between Pepi and Balogun, which are pretty straightforward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Belgium should try to make this a distraction from the preparation it\u2019s in the middle of right now. It needs to focus on itself and how it’s going to best prepare the team, without getting drawn into the drama that\u2019s unfolding in front of our eyes with this news.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Dale MacMillan\/Soccrates\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Belgium will definitely have the most quality of any team that we\u2019ve faced so far. It will be the toughest challenge in terms of an opponent that can keep possession and have talent around the field. That shouldn\u2019t be a surprise to anyone.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot of the old guard that has thrived over the past decade-plus. Thibaut Courtois is still in goal with Kevin De Bruyne in midfield and Romelu Lukaku leading the attack.<\/p>\n

If you look at Belgium\u2019s games in this tournament already, though, it\u2019s not dominating the ball. For example, Egypt had 46% possession against the Red Devils in the group stage. With that, I\u2019d expect close to a 50-50 split on Sunday in Seattle. \u2014 Walker Zimmerman<\/p>\n

\"FIFAUSA Related Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is big. Huge. Gigantic, actually. The U.S. men’s national team is preparing to play arguably the biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,4561,6131,3937,4559,87,14785],"class_list":["post-26544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-belgium","tag-belgium","tag-christian-pulisic","tag-event_preview","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-folarin-balogun","tag-united-states","tag-wc-united-states-vs-belgium-07-06-2026"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/116871223404182729","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}