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Belgium’s Jeremy Doku moves against the United States’ Timothy Weah (21) during an international friendly soccer match, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Mike Stewart\/AP<\/p>\n
United States’ Weston McKennie (8) and Belgium’s Thomas Meunier battle for a head ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Mike Stewart\/AP<\/p>\n
Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio celebrates his goal against the United States during the second half of an international friendly soccer match, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Mike Stewart\/AP<\/p>\n
Belgium’s Jeremy Doku (11) dribbles against the United States’ Christian Pulisic (10) during the first half of an international friendly soccer match, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Mike Stewart\/AP<\/p>\n
United States’ Tim Ream (13) tries the control the ball as Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio (14) looks on during the second half of an international friendly soccer match, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Mike Stewart\/AP<\/p>\n
ATLANTA (AP) \u2014 Belgium gave a dressing down to a U.S. team with big World Cup dreams.<\/p>\n
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The Americans allowed five straight goals in a deflating 5-2 loss to the Red Devils in a friendly on Saturday night. The U.S. had not lost by three in a home game in which it scored the opening goal since an 8-1 defeat to England in 1959, according to Opta.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe cannot arrive with the wrong idea of that we are so good, we are so handsome, we are so well dressed and we are Americans,\u201d said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, a former Argentina defender. \u201cAlways after the games when the team wins, (it’s) because we fight, we were aggressive, we were intense, yes? When we drop in that intensity \u2014 we saw today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparing to host the World Cup this summer, the U.S. entered with a five-game unbeaten streak and Pochettino’s message to players had been they can win soccer\u2019s top title for the first time.<\/p>\n
Weston McKennie’s 39th-minute goal from Antonee Robinson’s corner kick put the 15th-ranked U.S. ahead of the world’s No. 9 team. But then the U.S. level lagged.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t defend our box well enough,\u201d said Matt Turner, who returned to the U.S. goal for the first time since June. \u201cThat\u2019s something that we cannot have. We can\u2019t accept that we didn\u2019t lay everything on the line to keep the ball out of the back of the net because that\u2019s when our tails should be up the most.\u201d<\/p>\n Dodi Luk\u00e9bakio scored two goals for Belgium and Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana and Charles De Ketelaere had one each. Patrick Agyemang got an 87th-minute goal for the U.S.<\/p>\n Christian Pulisic, the top American player, failed to convert several good scoring chances. He entered scoreless in his last 12 games with AC Milan and extended his U.S. goal drought to seven games since November 2024.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I\u2019m disappointed. I have to finish my chances,\u201d Pulisic said. \u201cThey aren’t easy chances, but at certain moments \u2014 that I expect to do better, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Last fall’s unbeaten streak included wins over Japan (currently No. 18), Australia (27), Paraguay (38) and Uruguay (17) plus a draw vs. Ecuador (23). The U.S. plays No. 5 Portugal on Tuesday in its last game before Pochettino announces his World Cup roster on May 26.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to beat teams like this if we want to have a chance to go far in the tournament,\u201d Pulisic said.<\/p>\n Turner said the match reminded him of the 3-1 loss to the Netherlands that eliminated the U.S. from the 2022 World Cup in the round of 16. Belgium withstood U.S. pressure early, then raised its aggressiveness to a level the Americans couldn’t withstand.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re great reminders for us of what the level is going to be like and then our minimum standard of what we should expect from ourselves.\u201d Turner said. \u201cCredit to Belgium, but all that went wrong tonight wasn\u2019t just on how good they were. We were also pretty poor in certain areas.\u201d<\/p>\n Both teams missed several regulars because of injuries and fitness: the Americans missed Tyler Adams, Sergi\u00f1o Dest and Chris Richards, and Belgium was without Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard, Hans Vanaken and Thibaut Courtois.<\/p>\n \u201cThis team is better than the result,\u201d Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. \u201cWe started bad, but also because the USA was more aggressive than us.\u201d<\/p>\n With Richards sidelined, the U.S. started 38-year-old Tim Ream in central defense along with Mark McKenzie and Tanner Tessmann, who usually is a defensive midfielder.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n There was no American defender within 5 yards when Debast scored the equalizer from about 30 yards in the 45th minute after Turner parried J\u00e9r\u00e9my Doku’s initial attempt. Onana put Belgium ahead in the 53rd with a shot through the center of the penalty area after a layback from Alexis Saelemaekers.<\/p>\n De Ketelaere converted a penalty kick in the 59th after Thomas Meunier’s shot glanced off Ream’s left arm. Lukebakio spun around Max Arfsten to score in the 68th and then had an open shot after Timothy Castagne’s cross deflected off a foot of Sebastian Berhalter in the 82nd.<\/p>\n An exasperated Ream stared upward, hands on hips.<\/p>\n \u201cIn too many actions that we were in place, we have superiority, but we were not aggressive enough.\u201d Pochettino said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good check, reality for us, because now is the moment to feel this type of situation, to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
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