Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) — Walking the streets of Georgia’s stately capital on Saturday, shortly before the United States men’s national team’s World Cup warm-up against Belgium, the excitement among the home team’s fans was palpable.
Under a cloudless sky, supporters of all ages wore those swanky new USA jerseys and ear-to-ear smiles. Inside “The Benz,” a packed house of nearly 67,000 danced in the stands and mugged for the Jumbotron just before kickoff.
USA fans were hopeful for a solid showing by Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in Atlanta. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Some 85 minutes later, though, the mood among the faithful that had packed the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS side Atlanta United had shifted completely. Down four goals to FIFA’s ninth-ranked team, entire sections of seats emptied as thousands of those same fans headed to the exits in droves before Patrick Agyemang pulled back a late consolation tally for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
The USA came out looking sharp but ultimately wilted against Belgium. (Getty)
After the final whistle in the 5-2 drubbing mercifully sounded, the dejected American players struggled to explain what had just happened. But they also vowed to try and make it right, right back here on Tuesday, when a stout Portugal side comes to town for the second of the Stars-and-Stripes’ two games this month.
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They’d better. After all, the United States’ co-hosting duties (alongside Canada and Mexico) for this edition of the 48-team World Cup – the largest ever in history — is now just over two months away.
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Jeremy Doku and Belgium outlasted Christian Pulisic and the USA. (Getty)
“We have another opportunity against a strong team on Tuesday,” U.S. headliner Christian Pulisic told FOX Sports and other outlets following Saturday’s debacle. “We want to get a good result and feel good going into the World Cup.”
“We’ll go back over video, and we’ll see what we lacked, or where we could have done better, and then prepare,” said star midfielder Weston McKennie, scorer of the Americans’ first goal.
“We have an important game against Portugal,” added winger-turned-fullback Tim Weah. “We just have to get back into training and work on some stuff. We have to bounce back.”
It doesn’t matter that all involved agreed that the result was closer than that scoreline would indicate. The hosts took the lead against Belgium and nearly went into the locker room at halftime up by one, only to concede a preventable equalizer mere seconds before the break.
The visitors then bagged two more before the contest reached the 60-minute mark, including a penalty that Pochettino insisted shouldn’t have been awarded. At that point, though, the outcome was probably inevitable.
Against the Portuguese, the U.S. must keep the score close.
It’s a realistic aim. Roberto Martinez’s side, which defeated Spain to win the UEFA Nations League title last summer, were held without a goal in Mexico City later on Saturday at the re-opening of the mythical Estadio Azteca. Ultimately, Portugal settled for a scoreless tie with fellow World Cup co-hosts El Tri despite possessing the ball for a whopping 67 percent of the match.
Portugal, even without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, figures to be a lot better in Atlanta. The U.S. will have their hands full with the likes of Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and PSG’s Nuno Mendes. To have any chance of avoiding another embarrassment, they’ll need to play a much more complete match.
Bruno Fernandes and Portugal will give the USA a big test on Tuesday in Atlanta. (Photo by Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images)
“I want to watch [the Belgium loss] back and see how we can position ourselves a bit better when we are attacking as a group, to sustain attacks a little bit longer, and not have problems in transition,” said Pulisic, who hasn’t scored for the national team since 2024 or for his club, AC Milan, since November.
On Saturday, Pulisic squandered a golden opportunity just before Belgium took a lead they’d never relinquish, one of several key moments that could’ve gone differently.
More than anything, though, the USA can’t afford to let their resistance drop midway through a second consecutive outing. Against FIFA’s No. 6-ranked side, any let-off in effort promises to be once again punished with ruthless efficiency. Just as it will be if and when Pulisic & Co. come up against any other heavyweight foe during the main event’s knockout rounds this summer.
“One of the things that we can work on,” McKennie said, “is being able to stay consistent in how we start the game to how we finish it with the same intensity.”
For a game that won’t count in the standings, the pressure not to lay another egg in front of a huge, pro-American audience is obvious.
“We all have to look into the mirror,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said after Saturday’s loss. For him and the rest of his teammates, Tuesday’s match can’t come soon enough.
“We know we can do better,” McKennie reiterated. “We know what went wrong, but we also know and believe fully that we can play with teams of this caliber.”
They’ll soon get another chance to prove it and, in the process, give the diehards in the stands some renewed optimism rather than another dose of dejection.
“We want to get a good result on Tuesday,” Pulisic said. “And that’s what we’re going to do.”
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