4<\/p>\n It was hard to tell USMNT vs Belgium in a friendlyCredit: getty<\/p>\n But a porous USMNT defense — one player received a 3\/10 rating<\/a> — couldn’t hang with Belgium’s full-pitch speed in a humbling 5-2 defeat, which featured four second-half goals for the European opposition.<\/p>\n A forced mid-match ‘hydration break’ also threatened to overshadow the early progress of Mauricio Pochettino’s<\/a> revamped USA starting XI against a Belgium<\/a> side that featured Kevin De Bruyne<\/a> and Jeremy Doku<\/a>.<\/p>\n The surreal sight of white vs white kits was also a major story across social media, with supporters of both sides struggling to figure out who was who and which team was which. <\/p>\n “Whoever decided this was a smart idea is ridiculous,” one fan tweeted<\/p>\n READ MORE ON USMNT<\/p>\n “Who approved this kit matchup for the USA\/Belgium Friendly? It\u2019s truly unwatchable,” a second fan posted.<\/p>\n Biggest challenge of Mauricio Pochettino’s career could take away Spurs’ next manager<\/p>\n “This doesn\u2019t even happen in a U-6 rec game,” a third fan wrote.<\/p>\n But it was a surreal ‘hydration break’ after 20 minutes of play — despite Mercedes-Benz Stadium having a closed roof — that undercut what was initially a back-and-forth match that became 2-1 to Belgium following goals by Zeno Debast and Amadou Onana<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I didn’t (think) it could get more embarrassing after the uniform colors but here we are taking a hydration break inside an air-conditioned stadium. SMH!!!” a fan wrote. <\/p>\n USMNT debuted its new ‘Stars’ kit<\/a>, which features bold red stripes on the front and echoes the famous look of the American flag.<\/p>\n Fans struggled to find star players on pitch <\/p>\n But with Belgium wearing jerseys that appeared white from a distance — and the USMNT shirt mostly white on the back side — it could be hard to separate the two teams on the pitch inside a stadium that normally houses the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. <\/p>\n Robinson impressed throughout the first half for No. 15-ranked USA, slicing through Belgium’s defense and pushing hard down the left side of the pitch.<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Mauricio Pochettino watched Jeremy Doku run all over USMNTCredit: getty<\/p>\n Christian Pulisic<\/a> also took a hard shot on goal, but it was McKennie who looked like a potential World Cup breakthrough player for USMNT.<\/p>\n “I wanna say likely their (Juventus) overall best player this year, but it’s because he’s been a utility player,” Tab Ramos, who recorded 81 caps and eight goals while representing the USA in three World Cups, exclusively told talkSPORT. <\/p>\n “He’s been able to play in a number of different positions.\u00a0We need him to be in one position for our team and that’s that 8 that gets into the box and plays box to box, winning balls and actually getting goals for the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n “If he has a good World Cup, we have a real good shot at doing really well.”<\/p>\n Chris Richards misses friendly due to injury <\/p>\n Matt Turner, Tanner Tessmann, Tim Ream (captain), Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Folarin Balogun<\/a>, Tim Weah, Mark McKenzie, Robinson, McKennie and Pulisic started for USMNT.<\/p>\n Crystal Palace<\/a> star Chris Richards<\/a>, a key defender for the USA<\/a>, missed the match as he continues to recover from a knee injury.<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n USA fans dressed up but watched a 5-2 blastingCredit: getty 4<\/p>\n Fans took to social media to rage over the kit clashCredit: Getty<\/p>\n Manchester City<\/a> winger Doku was the most dangerous player on the pitch as he shredded Pochettino’s men, all while a second hydration break frustrated fans again. <\/p>\n Belgium dominated the second half, with Charles De Ketelaere making it 3-1 to the visitors from the penalty spot – six minutes after the took the lead.<\/p>\n It was Ream’s handball that gifted Belgium the chance to double the advantage, which was duly dispatched.<\/p>\n And it wasn’t long before it was 4-1 after Dodi Lukebakio curled home a left-footed strike in the top left corner in the 68th minute.<\/p>\n Lukebakio then added his second of the night in the 82nd minute to inflict a final blow on USA, before Patrick Agyemang scored a consolation strike five minutes later.<\/p>\n Read More on talkSPORT<\/p>\n Pochettino will be looking for an instant response from his team when they face Portugal on Tuesday in a game that Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> is expected to miss.<\/p>\n Stay up to date with the latest from USMNT across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page<\/a> and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel<\/a> for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A kit clash between USA and Belgium was a sign of things to come for Mauricio Pochettino’s 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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Mauricio](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DK-TS-USA.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"USA](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GETTY_United-States-v-Belgium-International-Friendly_SPO_GYI2268824901jpg-JS1070127251.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"USA](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-belgium-battles-ball-timothy-1070116348.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n