E-Paper
Sign In
US face Belgium in Seattle with World Cup expectations rising
The match at the Seattle Seahawks' home stadium, one of the loudest venues in the NFL, is expected to provide a raucous backdrop for a US men's national team
- PUBLISHED: Sun 5 Jul 2026, 5:44 PM
A different kind of Monday Night Football comes to Seattle when the US face Belgium for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals, with an American side carrying rising expectations into a meeting with one of Europe's most experienced teams.
The match at the Seattle Seahawks' home stadium, one of the loudest venues in the NFL, is expected to provide a raucous backdrop for a US team whose tournament ambitions have grown with each performance.
Recommended For You
Before the World Cup, many US supporters viewed a place in the last 16 as a reasonable target.
However, wins over Paraguay and Australia in the group stage, followed by a 2-0 victory over Bosnia despite playing the final 36 minutes with 10 men, have raised hopes that Mauricio Pochettino's side can make a deeper run on home soil.
Belgium, by contrast, have yet to fully convince.
The European side needed a late escape against Senegal, trailing for the majority of the match before scoring twice to level and then advancing after a VAR-assisted penalty decision in extra time that left Senegal frustrated.
For Belgium, the tournament may represent the final World Cup act for the country's so-called "Golden Generation," led by Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.
The US defence, regarded as a potential weakness before the tournament but impressive against Bosnia, will also likely have to contain Jeremy Doku, who is due for a breakout performance after a subdued display so far in the tournament.
The meeting carries echoes of 2014, when Belgium knocked the US out in the last 16 after extra time in Brazil, a match remembered for Tim Howard's record-setting goalkeeping performance, making 16 saves, and a late American rally that fell just short.
This time, the US will be without striker Folarin Balogun, who scored in the first half against Bosnia before receiving a red card in the second half. His suspension leaves Pochettino with a key selection decision as the Americans try to extend a campaign that has captured national attention.
"As a team we want to leave our mark on the game and a legacy behind," US midfielder Tyler Adams said.
"We know that the further we go, the more the game is going to grow."
Meanwhile, Belgium have come back down from cloud nine after their last-minute heroics against Senegal but they are wary of what lies ahead against the United States, defender Maxim De Cuyper said.
Belgium were 2-0 down against Senegal in Seattle on Wednesday but produced an extraordinary comeback to win 3-2 in extra time and squeeze through to the round of 16 to meet the co-hosts in Seattle on Monday.
"All the emotions after the Senegal match have settled down. Of course, it hit me hard at first because it was the first time I'd experienced something like that,” he told a press conference at the team base.
“We had a game plan that we tried to execute as well as possible. At times a strong Senegal side managed to break through, which isn't unusual."
The next match against the US promises to be as gruelling, De Cuyper added.
"The United States have grown into this World Cup. They have a lot of quality," he said.
"We have to show courage on the pitch. When you're playing in front of 80,000 supporters, you have to stick to your own game.
"There were both positives and negatives from our match against Senegal. We need to analyse what we did wrong. It's always better to be 2-0 up with five minutes left. But we showed a great deal of character."