The U.S. men’s national team stumbled to a 5-2 home loss against Belgium in a friendly at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.
Amid a competitive first half, the U.S. took the lead in the 39th minute thanks to Weston McKennie tapping in the ball from short range after a corner from Antonee Robinson. Belgium equalized with Zeno Debast’s powerful shot from distance in the 45th minute that sneaked past American goalkeeper Matt Turner.
After the break, the visitors took full and dominant control. Rapid-fire goals from Amadou Onana (53rd minute), Charles De Ketelaere (penalty in 59th minute) and Dodi Lukebakio (goals in 68th minute, 82nd minutes) silenced the crowd as Belgium flexed their muscle against a lackluster U.S. side. After a total of eight substitutions, a consolation goal was then earned by the Americans after Ricardo Pepi halted a pass that led to a shot that found the back of the net from Patrick Agyemang in the 87th minute.
From here, U.S coach Mauricio Pochettino and his roster will now prepare for their second and final friendly of the March window against Portugal next Tuesday.
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Manager rating out of 10
Mauricio Pochettino, 3: To be fair to Pochettino, it’s difficult to put all the blame on the coach whose only real experiment was placing Turner in net. The U.S. were able to go toe-to-toe with Belgium in the first half, but also became outmatched in one-on-one situations that gradually worked in the favor of the visitors. All that said, the collective faltered and desperately needed additional motivation from the coach, who will have noticed his roster losing its composure with each passing minute.
Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK Matt Turner, 3 — How do you rate a player that had a handful of big saves, but also allowed five goals? Regardless of his shot-stopping, it wasn’t enough to stifle the volley of elite-level shots launched his way.
DF Tim Weah, 2 — Initially containing Jérémy Doku in the first 20-25 minutes, Weah was then constantly chasing when it came to keeping pace with the creative winger. Early on in the second half, and with Doku gaining a dangerous amount of momentum, he was withdrawn in the 64th minute.
DF Mark McKenzie, 3 — Won a few duels and provided a handful of defensive contributions, but also failed to shut down Belgium’s attack that easily worked around his presence in the backline.
DF Tim Ream, 2 — Credit to the captain for his long-range distribution, but his decision-making was suspect in a couple of Belgium’s goals. A handball from the defender also provided Belgium with their third goal.
DF Antonee Robinson, 7 — The best USMNT player of the afternoon. Although he was fairly average defensively, he more than made up for it going forward with his active role on the left flank. The chance-creator earned a well-deserved assist off the first-half corner.
MF Tanner Tessmann, 4 — Created some crucial opportunities and provided a couple of vital tackles, he was also occasionally quiet in the heart of the XI. The USMNT needed a bigger presence in his position.
MF Johnny Cardoso, 4 — With something to prove after some underwhelming performances at the international level, Cardoso had brief moments of effectiveness thanks to his movement and highly accurate passing. Pochettino said after the match that pulling Cardoso at halftime was planned because of some discomfort the player felt earlier in the week.
AM Weston McKennie, 6 — Scored the first goal, took part in dangerous runs and build-ups, and connected well with the front line. One of the few bright spots.
AM Malik Tillman, 3 — Although he was the youngest member of the XI, more was expected. In a significant position behind the striker, the attacking midfielder was surprisingly invisible for long stretches of the game. He also could have done better to help prevent Belgium’s second goal.
AM Christian Pulisic, 3 — Credit to Pulisic for tracking back and helping defensively, there wasn’t much to say about his attacking influence aside from a brief positive start to the second half.
FW Folarin Balogun, 3 — A muffled game for a striker who had a shot on target in the first half and then didn’t do much afterward in the final third.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
MF Cristian Roldan, 4 (on for Cardoso, halftime) — The Seattle Sounders FC midfielder didn’t make much of a difference, although he should be given credit for a handful of defensive contributions.
MF Sebastian Berhalter, 3 (on for Tessmann, 64′) — Didn’t have a true impact and should have done better to prevent Belgium’s fifth goal.
DF Alex Freeman, 4 (on for Weah, 64′) — Didn’t have any successful dribbles going forward and lost possession a handful of times. A couple of ball recoveries and tackles were his low-key highlights.
DF Max Arfsten, 2 (on for Robinson, 64′) — A defensive weak point on the fourth and fifth goals for Belgium.
AM Gio Reyna, N/R (on for McKennie, 70′) — Aside from his passes in the opposition half, he didn’t truly alter the state of the game.
FW Ricardo Pepi, N/R (on for Balogun, 71′) — Provided the assist for Agyemang’s goal.
FW Patrick Agyemang, N/R (on for Tillman, 71′) — Earned the consolation prize and looked hungry for a second goal late into the game.
DF Joe Scally, N/R — (on for Pulisic, 71′) Limited time and influence for the defender, who lost both of his ground duels and got booked for a shirt pull.
