A devastating five-minute spell in the second half proved catastrophic for the U.S. Men's National Team on Monday, as a critical goalkeeping blunder and an injury to Christian Pulisic left the Americans trailing 3-1 against Belgium in their World Cup Round of 16 encounter in Seattle.
The chaos erupted in the 57th minute, when USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese ventured off his line to gather the ball but controlled it awkwardly with his chest before his foot became lodged in the turf as Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere pressured him.
Freese surrendered possession in the sequence, leaving the net unguarded. Hans Vanaken capitalized on the blunder, striking the ball into the goal from approximately 30 yards out as defender Tim Ream failed to recover quickly enough to prevent it from crossing the line, as per The Mirror US.
The mistake represented Belgium's third goal of the game, following two earlier finishes from De Ketelaere, either side of a deflected Malik Tillman free kick that had momentarily equalized the score in the first half.
Freese, who features for New York City FC in MLS at club level, had produced a strong stop earlier in the game, but the second-half error intensified existing concerns about the U.S. goalkeeping situation heading into the competition. This represented the first World Cup in which the USMNT started a keeper plying his club trade domestically in MLS.
Adding to the Americans' woes, Pulisic was forced off with an apparent injury in the second half.
The AC Milan forward had been absorbing physical challenges throughout the game, including an incident in the 52nd minute when he collapsed near the penalty box after his foot caught the rear of Youri Tielemans' leg during a tackle, though no foul was signaled and no significant concern was evident at that moment.
He remained on the field but was clearly suffering from some discomfort before being removed, looking noticeably distressed on the bench following the change.
To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE
Pulisic's evening had already proven challenging from a statistical standpoint. He surrendered possession 11 times during the opening 45 minutes, more than any player on the pitch through that stage of the game, as the U.S. failed to find fluency against a crisper, more ruthless Belgian team.
The Americans had displayed glimpses of promise to begin the second half, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino making an early change, introducing Gio Reyna for Sergiño Dest at the interval in a bid to inject composure in possession.
The adjustment initially seemed to yield results, as the U.S. dominated extended spells with the ball before Freese's mistake destroyed that momentum completely.
Ultimately, a nightmare evening was finished off by substitute and Belgium's all-time leading scorer, Romelu Lukaku, who scored his 93rd career goal in the 93rd minute.
Victory would have advanced the Americans to a quarterfinal encounter with Spain, a level the U.S. has not achieved since 2002. Instead, their World Cup journey concluded with a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Belgians.
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
