{"id":90986,"date":"2026-07-04T15:30:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T19:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-soccer-faces-belgium-in-seattle-with-world-cup-quarterfinals-on-the-line\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T15:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T19:30:44","slug":"us-soccer-faces-belgium-in-seattle-with-world-cup-quarterfinals-on-the-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-soccer-faces-belgium-in-seattle-with-world-cup-quarterfinals-on-the-line\/","title":{"rendered":"US Soccer Faces Belgium in Seattle with World Cup Quarterfinals on the Line"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

A different kind of Monday Night Football is coming to Seattle, as the United States men’s soccer team squares off against Belgium in a World Cup round-of-16 clash with a quarterfinal berth on the line.<\/p>

The venue is the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks \u2014 one of the noisiest arenas in the NFL \u2014 and it is expected to deliver an electric atmosphere for a U.S. squad whose ambitions have grown considerably as the tournament has progressed.<\/p>

Heading into the World Cup, many American fans considered simply reaching the round of 16 a success. But victories over Paraguay and Australia in the group stage, capped by a gritty 2-0 win over Bosnia while playing the final 36 minutes a man down, have fueled belief that Mauricio Pochettino’s side can go even further on home soil.<\/p>

Belgium, on the other hand, has yet to inspire much confidence. The European nation trailed Senegal for most of their match before scoring twice to level things up, then advancing on a VAR-assisted penalty in extra time \u2014 a decision that left Senegal deeply frustrated.<\/p>

For Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” \u2014 headlined by Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Thibaut Courtois \u2014 this tournament could represent their final World Cup chapter together.<\/p>

The U.S. defense, which raised eyebrows as a potential weak spot before the tournament, turned in a strong performance against Bosnia. That unit will now need to keep tabs on Jeremy Doku, who is considered overdue for a standout showing after a quiet tournament so far.<\/p>

Monday’s match also carries a sense of unfinished business. Back in 2014, Belgium eliminated the U.S. in the round of 16 during extra time in Brazil. That game is still remembered for goalkeeper Tim Howard’s remarkable 16-save performance and a late American push that ultimately came up short.<\/p>

This time around, the U.S. will be without striker Folarin Balogun, who scored in the first half against Bosnia before being shown a red card in the second half. His absence due to suspension leaves Pochettino with a significant lineup decision as the Americans look to keep their run alive.<\/p>

U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams spoke to the team’s motivation heading into the match. “As a team we want to leave our mark on the game and a legacy behind,” Adams said. “We know that the further we go, the more the game is going to grow.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States men’s soccer team takes on Belgium in Seattle on Monday night, with a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals at stake. Riding a wave of momentum after impressive group stage wins, the Americans enter with higher expectations than many predicted before the tournament began. Belgium, meanwhile, has yet to fully impress, having needed a dramatic late comeback and a controversial penalty to advance past Senegal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":90985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783193444630.jpg?fit=450%2C294&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-nFw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":89842,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/usa-advances-in-world-cup-with-gutsy-2-0-win-over-bosnia-despite-playing-shorthanded\/","url_meta":{"origin":90986,"position":0},"title":"USA Advances in World Cup with Gutsy 2-0 Win Over Bosnia Despite Playing Shorthanded","author":"Admin","date":"July 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States men's soccer team punched their ticket to the knockout round of the World Cup on Wednesday, defeating Bosnia 2-0 in a dramatic match in the San Francisco Bay Area. The victory ended a 24-year drought without a knockout-stage win and snapped a 10-game losing streak against European\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1782962220546.jpg?fit=450%2C319&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":91000,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-soccer-eyes-historic-win-over-belgium-with-nation-behind-them\/","url_meta":{"origin":90986,"position":1},"title":"US Soccer Eyes Historic Win Over Belgium With Nation Behind Them","author":"Admin","date":"July 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. men's national soccer team is preparing to face Belgium in a World Cup round-of-16 match in Seattle on Monday, with defender Sergino Dest saying the entire country is rallying behind them. The team enjoyed a relaxed Fourth of July weekend, attending a Seattle Mariners game and celebrating the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783196182898.jpg?fit=450%2C318&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":34489,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-mens-soccer-team-selects-california-training-site-for-2026-world-cup\/","url_meta":{"origin":90986,"position":2},"title":"US Men’s Soccer Team Selects California Training Site for 2026 World Cup","author":"Admin","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. men's national soccer team has selected Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, California as their training headquarters for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. The facility offers 24 soccer fields and sits within 50 miles of where the team will play two of their three group matches.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773215443122.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":84316,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-soccer-advances-to-world-cup-knockout-round-with-2-0-win-over-australia\/","url_meta":{"origin":90986,"position":3},"title":"US Soccer Advances to World Cup Knockout Round With 2-0 Win Over Australia","author":"Admin","date":"June 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. men's national soccer team punched its ticket to the World Cup knockout stage Friday, defeating Australia 2-0 in Seattle without injured star Christian Pulisic. The Americans clinched a berth in the knockout round after just two matches, a first for the team. Goals from Folarin Balogun and Alex\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781904682046.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781904682046.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781904682046.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781904682046.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43943,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-mens-soccer-team-suffers-crushing-5-2-loss-to-belgium-in-world-cup-tune-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":90986,"position":4},"title":"US Men’s Soccer Team Suffers Crushing 5-2 Loss to Belgium in World Cup Tune-Up","author":"Admin","date":"March 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States men's national soccer team fell 5-2 to Belgium in a World Cup preparation match in Atlanta on Saturday. Despite taking an early lead, the Americans were overwhelmed by Belgium's attack, raising concerns just three months before the World Cup tournament.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774736564267.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45563,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-mens-soccer-team-suffers-back-to-back-defeats-before-world-cup\/","url_meta":{"origin":90986,"position":5},"title":"US Men’s Soccer Team Suffers Back-to-Back Defeats Before World Cup","author":"Admin","date":"April 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States men's national soccer team faced tough losses in recent preparation matches, falling 5-2 to Belgium and 2-0 to Portugal. Despite the disappointing results, team officials say these setbacks provide valuable learning opportunities ahead of this summer's World Cup competition.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}