US thrashed 5-2 by Belgium in reality check for World Cup hosts
Belgium's players celebrate a goal on their way to a 5-2 thrashing of the United States in a pre-World Cup friendly (Kevin C. Cox) The United States were routed 5-2 by Belgium on Saturday in a humbling defeat for Mauricio Pochettino's team as they prepare to co-host this summer's World Cup. The thrashing comes as a wakeup call just 75 days before the tournament for the Americans, who after a good run of recent results were found severely lacking once again when facing top European opposition.
"I see this as a good check reality for us, because now is the moment to feel this type of situation, to improve," said Pochettino. "We need to improve, of course," he said. The US took an early lead against the world's ninth-ranked team, with Weston McKennie slotting in to the delight of a packed 67,000 Atlanta crowd.
But the Americans, knowing that their chances of making a deep run in the World Cup will likely depend on beating elite European opposition, saw any hopes of a statement victory dashed. Having conceded, the Belgians swiftly came to life, with a deluge of goals from Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, and Charles De Ketelaere, and a brace from substitute Dodi Lukebakio. Patrick Agyemang grabbed a late consolation for the US, who play Portugal in another high-profile friendly Tuesday before Pochettino announces his final squad in May.
Christian Pulisic, the AC Milan forward who has become a poster boy for Team USA, told AFP that the team needs "to take this on the chin. " "It was a tough loss. It's a very good team, but in a lot of ways, there's things that we can do better," he said.
"I have to improve. The team has to improve. " - Red Devils - Long seen as minnows at the international level of soccer, the US hired former Tottenham and Paris Saint Germain coach Pochettino to oversee an increasingly star-studded roster including Pulisic and Juventus midfielder McKennie.