Belgium Preview

The European Side Comes into the Match Higher Ranked and Victors Over the Americans in March

Belgium arrives in Seattle as a side built on continuity and star power at the top of an aging core, ranked ninth in the world under manager Rudi Garcia and looking to improve on a 2022 campaign that ended without advancing past the group stage.

The Red Devils punched their ticket to this World Cup by winning their UEFA qualifying group outright, and their path through the tournament has been steadier than dramatic—until it wasn't. After drawing both Egypt and Iran to open Group G, Belgium found their form with a 5-1 rout of New Zealand to top the group. The Round of 32 brought real drama: a 3-2 extra-time win over Senegal that required overcoming real late-match pressure to advance.

At the center of that comeback was captain Youri Tielemans, who equalized in the 89th minute before converting the winning penalty in extra time. The Aston Villa midfielder now has 15 goals in 89 international appearances. Kevin De Bruyne, still directing play at 34 for Napoli after his long Manchester City career, remains the engine of this team; how much space he's afforded against a U.S. midfield of Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie could decide the match. And lurking is Romelu Lukaku, Belgium's all-time leading scorer with 92 goals, now used as a super sub but no less dangerous. He's scored in each of his last two appearances, including sparking the comeback against Senegal.

This is a program with pedigree, a third-place finish in 2018 and 15 total World Cup appearances, but also one whose golden generation is entering its final chapters. For the USMNT's back line of Chris Richards, Tim Ream and Alex Freeman, containing Lukaku's introduction off the bench may prove just as important as anything that happens in the run of play beforehand.

Pochettino's Eventful Weekend

The USMNT Celebrated Before Hosting Belgium on Monday

Mauricio Pochettino has spent the days leading into Monday's Round of 16 clash with Belgium immersed in the same full-hearted embrace of American life that's defined his tenure, and he'll enter the match with his full squad at his disposal after all.

The Argentine coach capped a whirlwind stretch of cultural assimilation with a ceremonial first pitch before Friday's Blue Jays-Mariners game at T-Mobile Park, having taken batting tips from goalkeeper Matt Turner beforehand. It capped a run that's included everything from a newfound country music obsession to leading "U-S-A" chants to celebrating Independence Day by wishing American reporters a "happy birthday." Yet for all his affection for his adopted home, Pochettino was unequivocal about his identity: "I am 200% Argentine. … I am 200% Argentino, sorry. I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to lie."

The relief of having Folarin Balogun available removes what looked like a genuine selection headache. The striker had been facing a one-match suspension after a controversial red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina—a call Pochettino himself dismissed as "a normal action that happened because by accident. … Never a red card." With Balogun back in the fold, Pochettino avoids having to choose between starting Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright, or shifting Christian Pulisic into a more central attacking role.

Midfielder Tyler Adams had struck a confident tone about the group's ability to adjust regardless, saying the team has "been flexible" no matter who's asked to step up. Beyond the roster clarity, Pochettino continues framing the tournament in his signature terms—moonshots, belief, touching greatness—as the U.S. chases a first-ever multi-game knockout run at a home World Cup, with a quarterfinal date against Spain or Portugal awaiting the winner.

Balogun is Back

FIFA Suspends the Suspension, Allowing the Forward to Play on Monday

In a stunning turn on the eve of the USMNT's Round of 16 clash with Belgium, FIFA announced Sunday that Folarin Balogun's one-game suspension has been shelved, clearing the striker to play in Seattle.

The decision leans on the same disciplinary mechanism FIFA used to keep Cristiano Ronaldo available earlier in the tournament. Under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the governing body may suspend the implementation of a sanction and instead subject the player to a probationary period—in Balogun's case, one year. FIFA specified that "the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one [1] year."

U.S. Soccer confirmed its acceptance of the ruling in a statement, saying it was "pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow" and that the program's focus had shifted fully to Monday's match. President Donald Trump also weighed in, calling the reversal "a great injustice" being corrected.

The turnaround is notable given how firmly the suspension appeared to be locked in just days earlier—U.S. Soccer had confirmed as recently as Friday that the one-game ban would stand, with red cards carrying no formal right of appeal under tournament rules.

Balogun's red card came in the 64th minute of the U.S.'s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, after he scraped his boot down the ankle of defender Tarik Muharemovic while the two battled for the ball—a decision replay showed only after a VAR review reversed the referee's initial no-call. Balogun had scored the U.S.'s opening goal in that same match. Speaking Friday, before the reversal, he defended his positioning in the challenge: "If you played the game, you would understand there's scenarios that you simply can't avoid, and it has to be taken into context when it's being reviewed."

With Balogun back in the fold, the USMNT will look to advance to its first World Cup quarterfinal since 2002 when it faces Belgium Monday at 8 p.m. ET in Seattle.