USMNT Gets World Cup 2026 Reality Check in Disappointing Loss to Belgium

The United States was off and running. Then, it fell flat.

After a tremendous autumn in which manager Mauricio Pochettino saw his team close the year with impressive wins against Paraguay and Uruguay, the U.S. was the better team in the opening portion of a friendly match with Belgium and saw a bright first half-hour rewarded with a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute. 

But soccer matches are 90 minutes. Belgium found a goal before halftime and dominated the second half, scoring five goals in a row. The visitors found the back of the net from a long-range shot, a penalty kick, a moment of individual magic, and a goal capitalizing on an individual error to send the U.S. to a 5-2 defeat.

The loss is a reality check about what it will take for the Americans to achieve their lofty goals in a home World Cup this summer.

Earlier this month, Pochettino said his team could take inspiration from overachieving hosts of World Cups gone by, like Korea, which made the 2002 semifinal, and Morocco in 2022, which rode a wave of support in Qatar to a final-four place. 

But up against a team that is one of the world's best, the U.S. simply couldn't hang.

"We were not aggressive enough because we didn't keep that energy during the whole time," Pochettino said in his post-match news conference. "I think that's the challenge, and it's a good reality check for us because now is the moment to feel these type of situations to improve. We need to improve, of course, but it's also only a game, a game where nothing was for us, it was a little bit against us." 

The Americans were unable to match Belgium's level in the second half. The European side's star player, Jeremy Doku, got forward again and again down the left side, where he was defended by Timothy Weah. Typically, an attacker, though one who has been deputized in a defensive role for both his club, Olympique Marseille, and past U.S. matches, Weah was unable to prevent the Manchester City man from creating scoring opportunities.

And the U.S. didn't help itself, either. In the 53rd minute, after seeming to have cleared a chance that came from Doku's work, Malik Tillman opted to stay on his feet rather than slide to keep an Amadou Onana shot from reaching goalkeeper Matt Turner. He put the chance past Tillman and past Turner to make the score 2-1 in Belgium's favor. That goal came just after a missed opportunity from Christian Pulisic, the American star who failed to match Doku's heroics, closing the day with a trio of shots all well off target. 

Belgium was up 3-1 after a goal from the penalty spot with veteran center back Tim Ream guilty of a handball in the box on a sequence that saw Turner make a spectacular double save, only to find himself matched up with Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere 18 yards away.

Then came the Dodi Lukébakio show. The Belgian substitute entered in the 62nd minute and five minutes later was one-on-one with U.S. substitute Max Arfsten. Lukébakio dipped past and hit a left-footed shot into the opposite corner.

He doubled his goal haul in the 82nd minute, hopping on a failed clearance by second-half substitute Sebastian Berhalter to extend the U.S. misery.

These are the margins between the top teams and the elite. Playing an excellent half-hour is one thing. Playing an excellent match is another. Belgium wasn't at its best, but was clearly the better team - something that makes it seem unlikely the U.S. will be able to vanquish tournament favorites like Spain, Argentina or France.

Clearly, the U.S. isn't able to match the depth of Belgium, with the contest shifting as the match went on and as substitutions were made. Players like midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who came off at halftime, and left back Jedi Robinson, who came out in the 64th minute, likely would be going the full 90 minutes were this a knockout match in the World Cup. But will they have the legs to keep up with teams who can bring players like Lukébakio off the bench?

There are a few reasons to believe the sky is not falling for the U.S. Weston McKennie made his U.S. return after missing the November wins and was superb, flying around the field and scoring the opener. The Americans were missing their top center back, Chris Richards, because of a knee issue he felt at the start of camp, and fellow center back Miles Robinson also missed out with an injury after being called in to camp. Key midfielder Tyler Adams didn't come into camp but should be fit for the World Cup, and fullback Sergino Dest may also have recovered from a hamstring issue in time for the tournament. But Belgium was missing players, too.

"Definitely a difficult experience, you come into the game hungry and wanting to win. Today, that didn't work for us. We have to get back into the lab and continue working," Weah told TNT Sports after the game. "Right now is the best time for this to happen. We have a World Cup to think about. We want to perform and want to get better. We take this game, go into training, work hard and go into the next."

The next is Tuesday's friendly against Portugal, which now takes on outsized importance. Get a decent result against another top-10 team, and there may be belief in the team and the fan base that today was a blip and that the U.S. may be able to make a deep, magical run in the tournament.

Another result like this, and few will believe the U.S. can get off the blocks and stay running this summer when it really matters.