USA-Belgium: A Soccer History

History Favors Belgium, But the USMNT Knows How to Make It Memorable

The all-time series between the United States and Belgium is lopsided, with the Americans holding a 1-5-0 (WDL)  record against the Red Devils. But what the history lacks in American victories, it more than makes up for in dramatic moments, including one of the most memorable individual performances in World Cup history.

The lone U.S. win came in the most significant setting imaginable: the inaugural FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930. On July 13 of that year, Bart McGhee, Tom Florie and Bert Patenaude each found the net as the Americans cruised to a 3-0 victory—the first World Cup match in the history of both nations.

What followed was a run of five consecutive defeats spanning two decades, beginning with a 1-0 friendly loss in April 1995. Belgium won again in February 1998, 2-0, courtesy of a brace from Nico Van Kerckhoven, then claimed another 1-0 friendly result in September 2011. The only previous meeting on American soil took place in Cleveland in May 2013, when Belgium prevailed 4-2, with Clint Dempsey and Geoff Cameron netting for the U.S.

The series's most storied chapter arrived on July 1, 2014, in the Round of 16 in Brazil. The match went scoreless through 90 minutes before Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku struck in extra time to put Belgium up 2-0. Julian Green pulled one back for the U.S., but it wasn't enough, and Belgium advanced 2-1.

The enduring image from that afternoon was goalkeeper Tim Howard, who made a World Cup-record 15 saves and earned the unofficial title "Secretary of Defense" from an adoring internet. Saturday offers the U.S. a chance to rewrite a bit of that history on home soil.