Belgium Shrugs Off 80,000-Strong US Crowd After 5-2 March Win

Q: Can home-crowd energy help the US overcome its star striker's absence and a shaky defense to win this knockout-stage match?

Yes, it can help, but it is unlikely to be enough on its own against a more settled Belgium side. Seattle should give the United States a real lift. The tournament atmosphere there has been among the best of the World Cup, and home support can raise intensity, energy and belief in a knockout match. Mauricio Pochettino has also tried to turn that pressure into a positive, building a high-pressing, emotionally committed team that feeds off momentum. In a one-off game, that matters. The problem is that the US is missing more than just a crowd edge can easily replace. Folarin Balogun is their top scorer in this World Cup with three goals, and his suspension removes their most reliable finisher. Ricardo Pepi is a credible replacement and has scored consistently at club level, but losing Balogun reduces the US margin for error. That margin is already thin because the defense remains a concern. The US conceded five goals to Belgium in March, has managed only one clean sheet in its last 14 matches according to the supplied material, and Belgium believe they have the attacking tools to exploit the Americans’ back-three structure. With Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, Belgium have the quality to punish defensive lapses. The US still has a path: make the crowd a factor early, press aggressively, and get a big performance from Pulisic, Pepi and Chris Richards. But home energy is more likely to narrow the gap than erase the absence of Balogun and the defensive risk entirely.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 4

Belgium players said they will not be rattled by a heavily pro-US atmosphere in Seattle when the sides meet in Monday’s World Cup last 16.
80,000 supporters will back the Americans, but Belgium’s squad said the pressure could also rebound on the hosts if the game turns against them.
Belgium beat the United States 5-2 in a March friendly, though players cautioned that result offers only limited guidance because the World Cup setting and lineups are different.
The US will also be without suspended striker Folarin Balogun, while Belgium expects to adjust to an American system with three at the back.
Seattle has already delivered strong home support for the US—nearly 67,000 watched the Americans beat Australia—making crowd management a central subplot of the knockout tie.