ATLANTA — Belgium gave a dressing down to a United States team with big World Cup dreams.
The Americans allowed five straight goals in a deflating 5-2 loss to the Red Devils in a friendly on Saturday night. The Americans had not lost by three in a home game in which it scored the opening goal since an 8-1 defeat to England in 1959, according to Opta.
“We cannot arrive with the wrong idea of that we are so good, we are so handsome, we are so well dressed and we are Americans,” said US coach Mauricio Pochettino, a former Argentina defender. “Always after the games when the team wins, [it’s] because we fight, we were aggressive, we were intense, yes? When we drop in that intensity — we saw today.”
Preparing to host the World Cup this summer, the United States entered with a five-game unbeaten streak and Pochettino’s message to players had been they can win soccer’s top title for the first time.
Weston McKennie’s 39th-minute goal from Antonee Robinson’s corner kick put the 15th-ranked US ahead of the world’s No. 9 team. But then their level lagged.
“We didn’t defend our box well enough,” said Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner, who returned to the U.S. goal for the first time since June. “That’s something that we cannot have. We can’t accept that we didn’t lay everything on the line to keep the ball out of the back of the net because that’s when our tails should be up the most.”
Dodi Lukébakio scored two goals for Belgium and Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, and Charles De Ketelaere had one each. East Hartford-native Patrick Agyemang got an 87th-minute goal for the US.
Christian Pulisic, the top American player, failed to convert several good scoring chances. He entered scoreless in his last 12 games with AC Milan and extended his national team goal drought to seven games.
“Of course I’m disappointed. I have to finish my chances,” Pulisic said. “They aren’t easy chances, but at certain moments — that I expect to do better, for sure.”
Last fall’s unbeaten streak included wins over Japan (currently No. 18), Australia (27), Paraguay (38), and Uruguay (17), plus a draw vs. Ecuador (23). The Americans play No. 5 Portugal on Tuesday in its last game before Pochettino announces his World Cup roster on May 26.
“We have to beat teams like this if we want to have a chance to go far in the tournament,” Pulisic said.
Turner said the match reminded him of the 3-1 ouster by the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup in the round of 16. Belgium withstood pressure early, then raised its aggressiveness to a level the Americans couldn’t withstand.
“They’re great reminders for us of what the level is going to be like and then our minimum standard of what we should expect from ourselves.” Turner said. “Credit to Belgium, but all that went wrong tonight wasn’t just on how good they were. We were also pretty poor in certain areas.”
Both teams missed several regulars because of injuries and fitness: the Americans missed Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, and Chris Richards, and Belgium was without Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard, Hans Vanaken and Thibaut Courtois.
“This team is better than the result,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. “We started bad, but also because the USA was more aggressive than us.”
With Richards sidelined, the Americans started 38-year-old Tim Ream in central defense along with Mark McKenzie and Tanner Tessmann, who usually is a defensive midfielder.
There was no American defender within 5 yards when Debast scored the equalizer from about 30 yards in the 45th minute after Turner parried Jérémy Doku’s initial attempt. Onana put Belgium ahead in the 53rd with a shot through the center of the penalty area after a layback from Alexis Saelemaekers.
De Ketelaere converted a penalty kick in the 59th after Thomas Meunier’s shot glanced off Ream’s left arm. Lukebakio spun around Max Arfsten to score in the 68th and then had an open shot after Timothy Castagne’s cross deflected off a foot of Sebastian Berhalter in the 82nd.
An exasperated Ream stared upward, hands on hips.
“In too many actions that we were in place, we have superiority, but we were not aggressive enough.” Pochettino said. “It’s a good check, reality for us, because now is the moment to feel this type of situation, to improve.”