No extra time needed this time. A Charles De Ketelaere brace and a horrific Matt Freese blunder sent the USA out of its own World Cup, 4-1, in Seattle.
Bush’s PicksPicks madeJul 5, 11:27 PM CT
-115USA✓BEL+119
+174USA -0.5✗BEL +0.5-178
-120Over 2.5✓Under 2.5+120
Best BetBelgium to win✓
Postgame
The spread was the read that broke, we bet on USA managing a scoreline it never actually had, and Belgium's attack made that plan look naive inside the first half hour. Give the card credit elsewhere though, the moneyline and total both landed clean, with Belgium advancing comfortably and the goals piling up just like we expected from two leaky back lines.
Pregame
This one's close to a coin flip on the advance market, but Belgium's ceiling in the biggest moments still tips it their way, a rejuvenated De Bruyne and Lukaku in reserve give them more ways to manufacture a goal than USA has ways to stop it. The catch is this same read looked overwhelming against Senegal too, and it still took extra time and a 120th-minute penalty to get through. Take Belgium to advance, but brace for a nervy 90 that spills past regulation again.
United States
+Balogun and Pulisic both back and fully fit
+Survived a man down for 36 minutes and still won
−Balogun only just cleared to play at all
−Belgium's individual quality can decide a game alone
Belgium
+De Bruyne scoring in a third straight World Cup
+Lukaku's proven impact off the bench
−Debast still hasn't featured all tournament
−Just needed extra time and a late penalty to survive
USA actually had the better of the response, Malik Tillman leveling things in the 31st minute after De Ketelaere had opened the scoring early. It didn't last. De Ketelaere struck again before the half to put Belgium back in front, and Pochettino was seen kicking a row of water bottles on the bench in frustration. Things got uglier just after the hour when Freese rushed off his line, got his foot stuck in the turf, and watched Hans Vanaken poke the loose ball home. Romelu Lukaku, on from the bench, added the exclamation point deep into stoppage time.
Belgium4-2-3-1
United States4-2-3-1
Starting 11s.
Rudi Garcia's biggest call was leaving Kevin De Bruyne out of the XI entirely, easing him in later as a substitute alongside Jeremy Doku, while Youri Tielemans slid into the No. 10 role and Nicolas Raskin dropped in to help control the midfield against the Americans. Pochettino stuck with the group that had grinded through the group stage, trusting Balogun and Pulisic up top to create enough. USA actually went in as the slight favorite to advance on the pre-kickoff market, and De Ketelaere made sure that read didn't survive first contact.
Show fees
FT
Spread
Advance
Total
United States(3-0-2)
1
-0.5
+174
-115
o2.5
-117
Belgium(3-2-0)
4
+0.5
-178
+119
u2.5
+120
In-Game
Whale Buys
Advance includes extra time & pens; spread + total settle on 90 minutes.
Our card came in split. We had Belgium to advance and got it dead right, no extra time drama this round, just the kind of individual-quality margin we banked on, even if it was De Ketelaere doing the damage instead of De Bruyne. The total was an easy cash too, this one crossed the 2.5 line before halftime and Belgium kept adding after the break. The spread is the one that stings, we bet on USA either winning outright or matching Belgium through 90, and instead Belgium's attacking quality, the exact bear case we flagged pre-match, buried that plan by the 33rd minute.
The spread was the read that broke, we bet on USA managing a scoreline it never actually had, and Belgium's attack made that plan look naive inside the first half hour. Give the card credit elsewhere though, the moneyline and total both landed clean, Belgium advanced without any late-game sweating this time and the goals piled up exactly like two shaky back lines were bound to produce.
United States
(3-0-2)
Jul 6LvsBelgium1-4
Jul 1WvsBosnia and Herzegovina2-0
Jun 25LvsTürkiye2-3
Jun 19WvsAustralia2-0
Jun 12WvsParaguay4-1
Belgium
(3-2-0)
Jul 6WvsUnited States4-1
Jul 1WvsSenegal3-2
Jun 26WvsNew Zealand5-1
Jun 21DvsIran0-0
Jun 15DvsEgypt1-1
Recent form.
USA's bull case never got to breathe, Pochettino's side never had a lead or even a level scoreline to protect, and the individual-quality bear we flagged on Belgium is exactly what buried them, De Ketelaere alone outscored the entire USA roster before halftime. Belgium's bull case cashed even with De Bruyne starting on the bench, Lukaku delivered his usual impact as a substitute with the late dagger, and De Ketelaere simply took over the De Bruyne role in the box score. Belgium moves on to face Spain in the quarterfinals.
Belgium1-4
Bosnia and Herzegovina2-0
Türkiye2-3
Australia2-0
Paraguay4-1
Senegal3-2
New Zealand5-1
Iran0-0
Egypt1-1