This Saturday fans witnessed the United States Men’s national team being humbled by Belgium in the midst of their World Cup campaign. Seeing the squad lose 5-2 after a promising start to the first half.
A Tense Start
The USMNT started the match very strong, testing Senne Lammens early with a low-driven shot from outside the box from Antonee Robinson in the 9th minute.
Weston McKennie would pressure Lammens as well in the 17th with a shot inside the six yard box. Later teaming up with Robinson to score a goal in the 39th minute.
Desperate to make a change, Zeno Debast rockets a shot from over 30 yards outside the box past Matt Turner’s bottom left side. Tying the game 1-1 before half time.
Levels To The Game
While initially the contest seemed to be undecided, the second half showed drastic shift in tides.
In the 53rd minute, Jérémy Doku ran down the left side slipping the ball into Alexis Saelemaekers, who delivered a perfectly weighted assist to Amadou Onana.
Adding insult to injury, the USMNT conceded a penalty kick after Tim Ream’s handball in the penalty box. Going down 3-1 when Charles De Ketelaere converted the penalty in the 59th.
Fortunately for the USMNT Patrick Agyemang would shorten their goal deficit slightly, though it came at the cost of Dodi Lukébakio getting a brace.
Mar 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio (14) scores a goal against the USA during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The U.S. has lost six straight games since defeating the Belgians in the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
Seemingly at a disadvantage due to Chris Richards and Miles Robinson nursing injuries, the U.S. will have to modify their playbook in order to fit new personnel.
Their next opponent is Portugal and will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 31st. One can hope that without Cristiano Ronaldo, the squad can come out with a better result than today.