5 keys for Team USA against Belgium in the World Cup round of 16

The United States will face Belgium in a World Cup round of 16 game at Lumen Field in Seattle on Monday at 8 p.m.

If the Americans prevail, it will be their first World Cup round of 16 victory since a 2-0 win over archrival Mexico at the 2002 World Cup. A victory would put them in the quarterfinals on Friday in Inglewood, California, against Monday afternoon’s Spain-Portugal winner.

The USA got a tremendous boost on Sunday afternoon when FIFA surprisingly lifted forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for his red card in the 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday. Balogun, who leads the team with three goals, is eligible to play.

Here are five keys to the game:

1. Can the U.S. put that March shellacking behind them?

In a friendly on March 28 in Atlanta, the Belgians embarrassed the United States, scoring five unanswered goals in the second half and rolling to a 5-2 victory. How much that will play into Monday’s game remains to be seen. Six World Cup regulars started for the U.S. in that game, including Balogun, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman and Christian Pulisic. Can the Americans put that defeat in the rearview mirror and continue to show the world that they are a transformed team in this competition? They could be playing with a chip on their shoulders.  

2. Christian Pulisic must step up

This is Pulisic’s big moment to rise to the occasion. After a calf injury kept him from playing at full capacity in the group stage, he performed extremely well against Bosnia, but the man regarded as the USA’s best player hasn’t had a signature moment in this World Cup. This game would be as good a time as any to make a serious impact because so much is on the line.

3. The midfield needs to rise to the top again

A dominant midfield can make up for a team’s deficiencies in other areas. In the three wins, midfielders McKennie, Tillman and Tyler Adams have excelled on both sides of the ball. McKennie has been everywhere and Tillman connected on that exceptional free kick that sealed the victory over Bosnia. They need to repeat those performances. Some fans might not appreciate the dirty work, but a defensive/holding midfielder is vital to a team’s success. When Adams is at the top of his game, he stops attacks, wins balls and quickly starts offensive sequences. He needs to continue that against the Belgians if the U.S. is to win.

4. Don’t let Romelu Lukaku repeat history

It has been 12 years, but the specter of Lukaku looms over the U.S. Against the Americans in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, a 21-year-old Lukaku came on at the start of extra time. He set up Kevin De Bruyne’s goal three minutes later before scoring his first World Cup goal in the 105th minute in a 2-1 Belgium victory. Twelve years later, a 33-year-old Lukaku has been a game-changer as a super-sub. He came off the bench to cause an Egyptian own goal in a 1-1 draw, added a late goal in the 5-1 rout of New Zealand and scored to spark a 3-2 comeback victory over Senegal in the round of 32. Lukaku likely will enter the fray in the second half, and the U.S. cannot afford to let him cause any more chaos. Center back Chris Richards, who has played close to an immaculate tournament, could be charged with covering Lukaku.

5. If it comes down to penalty kicks . . .

Goalkeeper Matt Freese hasn’t been severely tested in his three matches but has performed well, allowing only one goal in three wins. The New York City FC keeper cannot afford to make a blunder in a knockout game that is expected to be a tight affair. If the match is settled via penalty kicks, the USA’s fate could come down to Freese making one or two saves in that tension-filled tiebreaker. Freese has come through with flying colors before. In the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals, he saved three penalties in a 4-3 shootout win over Costa Rica. Stopping three shots in a shootout is a rare feat.