Belgium routs USMNT 5-2 in World Cup warmup

Belgium scored four unanswered second-half goals to dismantle the USMNT 5-2 before 66,867 fans at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.yahoo
Weston McKennie gave the U.S. a first-half lead, but goals from Onana, De Ketelaere, and a Lukebakio brace erased it in a dominant Belgian second half.yahoo
Coach Mauricio Pochettino faces urgent questions about defensive depth ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Portugal and the June 12 World Cup opener.foxsports

USMNT Routed 5-2 by Belgium in Pre-World Cup Friendly

The U.S. men’s national team’s five-game unbeaten streak came to a jarring end on Saturday as Belgium dismantled the Americans 5-2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, raising alarm bells just 76 days before the opening match of the 2026 World Cup on home soil.

Weston McKennie gave the crowd of 66,867 reason to cheer when he volleyed in Antonee Robinson’s corner kick in the 39th minute for his 12th international goal. But the lead lasted barely six minutes. Belgium center back Zeno Debast unleashed a 30-yard strike past goalkeeper Matt Turner to level the score just before halftime.yahoo

Belgium’s Second-Half Onslaught

The second half was a rout. Amadou Onana finished off an Alexis Saelemaekers pass in the 53rd minute after Jeremy Doku created havoc on the left flank. Minutes later, Tim Ream was penalized for a handball following a VAR review, and Charles De Ketelaere converted the resulting penalty to make it 3-1. Dodi Lukebakio then scored twice — first a curling long-range effort in the 68th minute after beating Max Arfsten, then a close-range finish in the 82nd minute after a defensive breakdown by Sebastian Berhalter — to complete the demolition.foxsports

Patrick Agyemang, a second-half substitute, pulled one back in the 87th minute after forcing a turnover with high pressing, but it was little more than a consolation.yahoo

Defensive Concerns Mount

The result exposed vulnerabilities that coach Mauricio Pochettino will need to address quickly. Belgium, ranked ninth in the world by FIFA, controlled nearly 60 percent of possession and repeatedly carved through the American backline, with Manchester City winger Doku and Kevin De Bruyne orchestrating much of the damage. Fox Sports reported that while the U.S. matched Belgium almost evenly in the first half, the hosts “faltered” completely after the break.foxsports

The loss is particularly sobering given the U.S. had entered the match on a promising run, going unbeaten in five matches against top-40 opponents to close 2025, including a 5-1 rout of Uruguay. Pochettino, who before the match told reporters “Why not us?” when asked about World Cup ambitions, now faces pointed questions about defensive depth and second-half game management.ussoccer

Eyes Turn to Portugal

Attention shifts to Tuesday’s friendly against Portugal, also at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in what will be the final match before Pochettino names his 26-player World Cup roster. The U.S. opens its World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles.ussoccer