SEATTLE — Defender Sergino Dest says the U.S. men’s national soccer team is ready to channel the energy of a nation that is fully behind them as they prepare to battle Belgium for a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals following the July 4 holiday weekend.
The squad enjoyed a laid-back Saturday morning training session before heading off to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday with fireworks, family, and friends. Coach Mauricio Pochettino greeted reporters with holiday well-wishes before the players got down to business, while Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun — who faces a suspension after receiving a straight red card in the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina — loosened up by tossing a baseball around.
On Friday evening, the team took in a Seattle Mariners baseball game, where midfielder Cristian Roldan fired up the crowd with a rallying cry of “let’s go win a World Cup” — a moment that captured the growing sense of belief surrounding the co-host nation.
Dest said the team intends to bring that momentum into a packed stadium in Seattle on Monday for what he acknowledged could be the most significant match in the history of American soccer — at least so far.
“At the moment, maybe yes,” Dest told reporters. “Hopefully we will win this game and then we can even play more games in this tournament. Because we have an amazing group at the moment.”
“We play really well and we’re all just so motivated and the country believes — everybody believes at the moment … the support is huge,” he added.
Belgium arrives with momentum of their own after staging a stunning comeback against Senegal, and Dest acknowledged that despite an uneven tournament, they remain a dangerous opponent.
“They are inconsistent this tournament, but we still know that they have qualities,” he said.
Fellow defender Tim Ream echoed the team’s confidence while also reflecting on the broader impact a deep tournament run could have on the sport’s popularity across the United States.
“We’re not fully thinking about that at the minute. We’re thinking about playing games and putting in performances,” Ream said. “But we are … very aware of the impact that we’re having around the country and the impact we’re having on generations of people and fans.”
With Balogun sidelined, the team will need to find a different way to generate offense. But Ream pointed to how the squad managed to hold on against Bosnia while playing a man down as proof they can adapt under pressure.
“When teams can win in different ways, when teams have to win in different ways, it gives you that mental boost,” Ream said. “Sometimes the game’s not going to be nice, it’s not going to be pretty, you’re not going to have everything go your way, but you find ways to finish games out.”
