This is big. Huge. Gigantic, actually. The U.S. men’s national team is preparing to play arguably the biggest match in team history 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.<\/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
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
(Photo by Bob Kupbens\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/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 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<\/i><\/p>\n Forward \u00b7\u00a0United States<\/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 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<\/i><\/p>\n Goalkeeper: <\/strong>Matt Freese<\/p>\n Left Back:<\/strong> Antonee “Jedi” Robinson Midfielder:<\/strong> Tyler Adams Left Winger: <\/strong>Christian Pulisic (Photo by Dave Bernal\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/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<\/i><\/p>\n USA-Belgium Is The World Cup Game Mauricio Pochettino Was Hired To Win<\/p>\n How USA Players Learned Folarin Balogun’s Red-Card Suspension Was Reversed<\/p>\n Scouting USA vs. Belgium: 2022 World Cup Defender Previews Round Of 16 Clash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY This is big. Huge. Gigantic, actually. The U.S. men’s national team is preparing to play arguably the biggest match in team history on Monday, and the whole country will be watching.\u00a0 In the 2026 World Cup round of 16, the Stars and Stripes will take on Belgium in the knockout match […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Defender:<\/strong> Tim Ream
Defender:<\/strong> Chris Richards
Right Back:<\/strong> Alex Freeman<\/p>\n
Midfielder: <\/strong>Malik Tillman
Midfielder: <\/strong>Weston McKennie<\/p>\n
Forward: <\/strong>Folarin Balogun
Right Winger :<\/strong> Sergi\u00f1o Dest<\/p>\n