ATLANTA — Amadou Onana walked with a noticeable strut of confidence as he left the mixed zone on the ground floor of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He nodded to stadium staff as French hip hop played from a portable speaker that he carried. The 24-year-old Aston Villa midfielder was in a good mood after Belgium’s 5-2 win over the U.S.
Just a few steps behind Onana was teammate Dodi Lukébakio. The right winger’s brace Saturday broke the will of an American side that had competed well before halftime. Lukébakio, 28, had not been on the field for very long when he side-stepped past Max Arfsten and belted a left-footed strike into the far top corner of Matt Turner’s goal.
“Thank you,” Lukébakio said with a smile after a reporter praised his wonder strike.
Onana and Lukébakio were just two examples of the disparity in quality between the U.S. and Belgium, FIFA’s ninth-ranked team in the world. The three-goal defeat will be billed as a wake-up call for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT. But Belgium’s performance here in Georgia was about more than the scoreline.
The Red Devils are simply better from an individual and tactical perspective. And Belgium is no stranger to praise for the type of footballer the country routinely produces. Belgium has celebrated golden generations but not trophies. The exhibition match against the U.S. was an opportunity for Belgium to move beyond its comfort zone of European opposition.
Captain Kevin De Bruyne told reporters on Friday that he expected Pochettino’s men to be the aggressor in front of an expected sold-out crowd. “The United States are playing at home and will want to show the country that they are ready for the World Cup,” he said. “That could be good for us, because in preparation we mainly played against countries with a low defensive block.”
The last time the U.S. and Belgium met was in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. De Bruyne was 23 and he was nearly unplayable that night in Salvador. He scored a goal in extra time and created 10 chances, which remains a FIFA World Cup record. Tim Howard was forced into 15 saves, also a World Cup record, before Romelu Lukaku scored the eventual match-winner.
Saturday was a much different story. After a difficult first half in which the U.S. dominated play and looked like the faster side, Belgium adjusted and coasted to the win. Belgian outlet Sporza acknowledged that the U.S. corner kicks had “sowed doubt and danger” after Antonee Robinson’s curling dead ball found Weston McKennie for the game’s first goal in the 39th minute.
Sporza lauded McKennie for his output while criticizing Belgian striker Loïs Openda, who is on loan at Juventus from RB Leipzig. “McKennie makes more of an impression at Juventus than Openda,” Sporza wrote prior to kickoff.
Belgian outlets characterized the win as a tale of two halves, something that both Pochettino and Belgium manager Rudy Garcia also acknowledged. There was not much analysis from the Belgian press on the Americans’ collapse in the second half. Sporza in particular highlighted the “spectacular Mercedes-Benz Stadium” and the very American way of performing the nation’s national anthem with fireworks and an electric guitar.
Dodi Lukebakio (right) and Jeremy Doku celebrate Belgium’s fourth goal. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
But Garcia offered his own opinion about a U.S. team that will now face considerable scrutiny less than 80 days before it co-hosts the 2026 World Cup. “This team is better than the result tonight,” Garcia said of the opposition.
“I think we lost too many balls,” he continued. “I think we tried to find decisive passes too quickly and there weren’t solutions there for us to show our game – especially to serve players passes on the ground.” Garcia explained that he adjusted the team’s set up to a mid-block in midfield which made Belgium, in his opinion, “more difficult to play against.”
“We got the ball back, we had more space to exploit,” said Garcia. As expected Garcia was diplomatic. The U.S. had put his side under pressure and forced him to tinker with his tactics. The U.S. consistently exposed Belgium’s high line in the first half. Belgium and Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku was a constant danger, but U.S. right fullback Tim Weah was able to run into the space that Doku chose to ignore defensively.
“I think we had a little hard time getting into the game,” Onana said. “But once we figured out how to play defensively, I think it got a little better. And then offensively we know that we have the ability to score goals.”
Doku was a menace all night. He is a relentless attacker who eventually wore down Weah. The American winger had put in a valiant defensive effort in the first 45 minutes of play, but Doku was simply too good. The Belgian press tempered any and all expectations ahead of the World Cup. The Red Devils, meanwhile, have flaws but Saturday’s win also proved the team’s depth.
Without Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is sidelined with a right thigh injury, Manchester United’s Senne Lammens delivered a solid performance in his stead. Core contributors Lukaku, Leandro Trossard and Hans Vanaken were also unavailable this camp. Garcia didn’t flinch and gave a trio of young players their senior debuts, while Lukébakio, who fractured his left ankle in November playing for Benfica, now is healthy and formidable on the right flank.
Belgium will leave Atlanta with the same swagger that Onana displayed as he left the stadium. Sporza’s reporters ended their work on Saturday night with a question for the American audience: “Would a certain Donald Trump still believe, after seeing this result, that his USA can soon become world champions?” they wrote.
Saturday’s performance suggested otherwise – while perhaps raising the bar for what the Belgians can achieve this summer.
