Time for Reflection
USMNT Burner Week Recap/Preview - 7/16/26 - Vol. 67
Alexi Lalas calling out people who are holding US soccer back.
USMNT vs Belgium Recap
Ugh. 10 days on from the USMNT’s Round of 16 clash with Belgium, the wounds are still fresh. There are so many things that could be said about this game but we think the best word might be “embarrassing”. The performance, the fight, and the work rate in the match were so far from what was needed to get a result in any round of the world cup, let alone the Round of 16 against a top-10 team in the world.
The match started on the back foot and within the first 45 seconds Timothy Castagne fired a curling effort toward Matt Freese’s goal. Luckily, the Harvard grad was equal to the task with easily his best save of the tournament. But, that would only be the start of the immense pressure Belgium would put the US under. Just six minutes later, Dodi Lukebakio held up play well outside the 18-yard-box before slipping a through ball to an overlapping Castange. His low, driven cross arrived at the foot of a completly unmarked Youri Tielemans. Luckily for the US, Tielemans got it all wrong, swinging and missing as the ball travelled aimlessly out for a throw in. Nine out of ten times, Tielemans is wheeling away in celebration. Luckily, we were the one time. At this point the US were thinking that luck may be in their favor.
How wrong they were! Just two minutes on, Leandro Trossard got the ball on the left flank and faced up Alex Freeman. Freeman was stout as Trossard attempted to get a cross in. Freeman got a leg out to block the cross, it deflected up into the air. The ball looped into the air where Freeman headed it toward the top of the box. As the ball fell, three USMNT players stood beneath it. Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman all watched as the ball fell out of the air and landed in the center of the trio. Off the bounce, Nico Raskin raced through the, taking the ball with him. He fizzed the ball across the box, through the legs of Chris Richards, where it was met by Charles De Ketelaere who had lost the mark of Tim Ream. De Ketelaere needed just the slightest of touches to give the Belgians an early 1-0 lead. Tyler Adams was visibly upset at Dest and McKennie for allowing the ball the drop uncontested. Ream’s poor marking of De Ketalaere was, unfortunantly, a sign of things to come.
Twenty minutes on, the US mounted one of their only forays into Belgium’s attcking third. Christian Pulisic picked the ball up around 35 years out and drove toward Belgium’s goal. As he attempted to combine with Folarin Balogun, Balogun was bundled to the floor by Brandon Mechele. The referee blew immediately to signify a free kick for the US. Just one game after scoring a wonder free kick goal against Bosnia, Malik Tillman stepped up to the ball. Around 25 yards out, Tillman readied himself to send the free kick goal bound. Tillman hit the shot in a similar manor as to how he had when he scored against Bosnia. Using the instep of his foot he attempted to dip the ball over the Belgian wall and past Thibault Courtois in goal. His shot deflected off Hans Vaneken, a member of Belgium’s four-man wall, and sent the ball into the opposite side of the goal that Tillman was aiming for. The deflection wrong footed Courtois who was already on his way to the original direction of the shot. Courtois could do nothing but helplessly watch as the ball flew by him. Tie ball game in Seattle. The crowd pop in Seattle was deafening as Tillman ran toward the corner flag. It didn’t matter how the ball went in or how against the run of play the goal was. Moments like these are what separate the boys from the men in the World Cup. Have to be able to capitalize on any chance given to you. Tillman, who was arguably the US’s best player throughout the tournament, was announcing himself on the world stage.
You know what else separates the boys from the men in a World Cup? The ability to reset, refocus, and hold a lead. Life felt like sunshine, rainbows and waterfalls for 61 seconds. For 61 seconds we had faith and hope. For 61 seconds, the hype train was moving at mach speed. All for the train fall off the tracks and off a massive cliff where it exploded. 61 measly seconds was all it took for Belgium to get their lead back. Similarly to the first goal, the ball was spread out left to Trossard. He sized up Dest and Freeman, feinted twice and drove toward the end line. His cross was perfect for De Ketelaere who, for lack of a better term, dunked on Ream like he wasn’t even there. 2-1 Belgium and De Ketelaere has a brace. Unfortunately, for how good Ream had been up to this point, this game is what he is going to be remembered for. And, it was only going to get worse. A painful “come to Jesus” moment for the US and it hardly got any better from here. The US was unable to mount any form of coherent play for the remainder of the first half.
The second half began with a substitution for the US. Sergino Dest made way for Gio Reyna and a slight tactical shift was made. McKennie moved into Dest’s spot while Gio was going to operate more in the middle of the park. It is worth noting that this match was probably Dest’s worst game in a USMNT kit in his 44 caps. Including his melt down in Trinidad that saw him get sent off. To be fair to Dest, no one was playing well for the US at all.
The US began the second half brightly, attacking through Jedi Robinson and Pulisic down the left side. Pulisic took a pass from Jedi and drove parallel to the goal along the 18-yard-box. As he went to fire a shot, Tielemans jumped infront of his shooting foot. Instead of hitting the fall, Pulisic’s foot hit the back of Tielemans’ heel. Pulisic fell to the floor, riving in pain. No foul was given and Pulisic attempted to carry on but you could tell the pain was still affecting him. He would make way for Sebastian Berhalter just six minutes later.
Five minutes on from Pulisic’s injury, Belgium’s center back Mechele, launched a long ball intended for De Ketelaere. The pass was out of reach for the Atalanta forward and Freese had abandoned his goal in order to field the ball and keep play moving. Freese took the ball down well on his chest as De Ketelaere ran by him. As Freese went to clear the ball with his left foot, he hesitated. Why? Not entirely sure. Maybe because the ball had fallen to his non-dominant left foot. He then tried to play the ball with his right foot to Tim Ream, who was standing behind him. Unbeknownst to Freese, De Ketelaere was right on his back. He stuck out a foot and blocked Freese’s pass to Ream. The ball rebounded into the center of the field where Vaneken was able to hit a, pretty pathetic, attempt at goal. But his curled effort somehow avoided the left leg of Ream and dribbled into the goal. 3-1 Belgium. All the wind in our sails was gone. The game was, for all intents and purposes, over with a half an hour still to play. They say a two goal lead is the hardest to defend in all of sports. But the US had nothing in the tank. No ideas, no fight, no individual brilliance that could break down Belgium.
To add insult to injury, Belgium brought their most dynamic winger and all time top goal scorer off the bench to see the game out. To no ones surprise, the pair of Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku had their way with the US. in the 92nd minute, a pair of poor clearances from Freeman and Richards allowed Lukaku to drive toward goal. The Napoli striker made no mistake from 10 yards out for his 93rd Belgium goal. 4-1 Belgium. Goodnight USA and safe travels home.
Where Do We Go From Here?
I have spent the last few days listening to podcasts and reading articles about the loss the Belgium and the subsequent follow out that came after. I have even done my own reflection into why the USMNT lost that game, more importantly, why they lost in such an embarrassing fashion.
The controversy surrounding Balogun and his red card are well documented at this point. But in case you need a refresher, after receiving a red card in the USMNT’s Round of 32 match with Bosnia, Folarin Balogun was suspended for the match against Belgium. That was until the morning on the day before the match when news broke that Balogun’s red card suspension had been suspended. Balogun was officially availble to be selected for the US’s matchup with Belgium. Then news came out that US President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to enquire about Balogun’s red card. While FIFA has maintained that they made their decision by enacting article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code which says, “FIFA’s judicial bodies have the authority to fully or partially suspend a disciplinary sanction…”, the timing of the call between Trump and Infantino left an eerie feeling around the decision. The Belgian FA was understandably angered by the decision and petitioned to FIFA to have Balogun’s red card suspension upheld.
The US spent over a week preparing for this game without Balogun, the focal point of the USMNT at this World Cup. Likely by working out a new plan that would get the best out of Ricardo Pepi, the likely replacement for Balogun. Unlike Balogun, Pepi is a less mobile and more traditional striker. We saw the US struggle to create chances against Turkey when Pepi was on the field. However, the game plan and style was the blame rather than Pepi himself. Just 24 hours before the match, they must change their entire game plan. While this isn’t an excuse, considering the team had played the same way three out of the four games they had played, it probably was a factor.
Not only was the timing unfortunate but the controversy of Trump getting involved undoubtably put unwanted pressure on the team. No only that, the outside noise grew louder as word hit the public. You have to wonder if Donald Trump had never gotten involved, would this have ever reached the controversial heights that it reached? It is possible because Trump and Infantino have been in kahoots for a while now. It is also entirely within the realm of possibility that Trump had some sort of influence in the freeing of Balogun. Being one of the most polarizing figures in the world, anything Trump touches comes with controversy and this was no different.
After having their appeal to have Balogun deemed ineligible for the match, the Belgians had a point to prove. Honestly, looking back on it, there was no way they were going to lose this game. After feeling like they were so unjustly treated by Balogun’s reinstatement, they were going to prove to everyone it didn’t even matter if we had our best player. They were going to pound us no matter who was on the field.
Even with Belgium showing up to that game with a chip on their shoulder, the US did not show any fight or any desire to compete. Pulisic was poor and withered in the big moments. McKennie had his worst game all tournament. Ream showed all of his age and was a liability. Dest was ineffective and lacked the creative spark we have come to love from him. Balogun was kind enough to fulfill his suspension during the game by being largely invisible. Tillman, even with his goal, was not completing his passes and was trying flicks that were not coming off. Overall the squad was not up for the game. Consequently, they were embarrassed in front of a record 50.1 million who tuned into the match.
So where do we go from here?
While the impact of the World Cup has been undeniable, you have to wonder if the USMNT made its presence felt. They hype train was at an all-time high coming into that Belgium game. The nation felt like they were inspired by the team and the team felt like they were backed by the nation. A feeling that has not always been with the USMNT. This World Cup has brought the game into the mainstream. Even while the US fell out of the tournament in lackluster fashion, the game has experienced a boom during the World Cup. We can only hope that it inspired kids across the nation to get into the game.
The US still has various issues that plague the game. Issues such as pay-to-play youth soccer, the complicated structure of youth soccer in America, the lack of public access to fields and goals, and even MLS making it hard for the average person to watch the league by putting games behind the Apple+ paywall. US Soccer needs to find a way to eliminate the pay-to-play model. We have been lucky enough to have been a part of that system but feel no strain because my parents made enough money for it not to be an issue, something we are incredibly grateful for. For others, especially hispanic communities for example, that may not be the case. These are communities who are already in love with the game and have deep connections to the game. But for some, the pay-to-play model does not make it feasible for their children to play organized soccer. Thus, the US misses out on developing players. US Soccer needs to find a way to adopt the European model of academy systems. This will allow a larger net to be cast for US Soccer to develop players from. No matter what, we will see a boom in kids wanting to play soccer in the US. Whether that was because of the USMNT or not, the game will grow in the US and the USMNT will get better from it. The USMNT is still a world away from ever winning or a World Cup or even being a serious force in one but the game is growing in the country. There is no doubt about that.
Curtains Close on the Weekend and Done Deals
Jonathan Amon has signed for St. Polten 🇦🇹 from Velje 🇩🇰
Cole Campbell has signed for Bundesliga side Elversberg 🇩🇪 on a permanent deal from Dortmund
David Voute has signed for FC Emmen 🇳🇱
Tylor Golden has signed for National League side Boreham Wood 🏴 following his departure from Altrincham
The New England Revolution have signed Matt Turner on another loan with option to buy from Lyon 🇫🇷
Matthew Hoppe scored for Sonderjyske 🇩🇰 in a friendly with Holstein Kiel 🇩🇪
Bora Aydinlik has left Manisa 🇹🇷 and signed for Fethiyespor 🇹🇷 in the Turkish third tier
Terrence Boyd scored for Waldhof Mannheim 🇩🇪 against Thun 🇨🇭 in a friendly
Taylor Booth scored in a friendly for FC Twente 🇳🇱 against SF Lotte 🇩🇪
Kevin Lankford scored a late goal for Carl Zeiss Jena 🇩🇪 against Union Berlin in a friendly
Evan Runtundo has signed for Dukla Praha 🇨🇿 of the Czech second division from F91 Dudelange 🇱🇺
Robert Deziel scored for new club Legia 🇵🇱 in a friendly against Radiomak 🇵🇱
Justin Butler scored in a friendly for Energie Cottbus 🇩🇪 against Mlada Boleslav 🇨🇿
John Anthony Brooks has joined VSG Altglienicke 🇩🇪 from Hertha Berlin
Rumor Mill
If ANYONE is interested in Christian Pulisic they need to be psychologically evaluated (@burnerusmnt)
Gaga Slonina and Caleb Wiley have been listed for sale by Chelsea 🏴 (SBI Soccer)
Newly promoted Premier League side Hull City 🏴 continue to target Rokas Pukstas (Germanijak)
Juventus 🇮🇹 is looking into Folarin Balogun should their move for Kolo-Muani not be successful (Di Marzio)
Gaga Slonina is currently training with Strasbourg 🇫🇷 as they are looking for a new goalkeeper. A move is not guaranteed but is being explored (Nizaar Kinsella)
Middlesborough 🏴 are in advanced talks to sign Max Arfsten (Pete O’Rourke)
Burner’s Star of the Week
⭐️: Jonathan Amon - SKN St. Polten
He’s back. We’re back. We’re so back. Back like we never left. None of the bums on the USMNT deserve tendies after the Belgium game, so Jonny is getting them for signing for a club that hopefully loves him like we do
Red Lights, Stop Signs, I Still See Your Face in the White Cars
Dilly Duka, and your 13 game stint at FK Partizani Tirana of the Albanian first tier, we will never forget you.
Good one Burner gang. Keep ‘em coming!!
Only have to wait another 4 years to try again 🫠