USMNT vs. Belgium: Key takeaways from a sobering pre-World Cup friendly

ATLANTA — The United States Men's National Team fell 5-2 to Belgium in a pre-World Cup friendly in Atlanta, Georgia.

Weston McKennie opened the scoring for the Americans in the 39th minute, but from there, the floodgates opened for Belgium, with Zeno Debaste, Amadou Onana, Charles de Ketelaere and Dodi Lukebakio putting the match firmly out of reach. Patrick Agyemang pulled one goal back for the USMNT late in the second half to take the edge off the beating.

It was the USMNT's first loss since its defeat to South Korea in September 2025; it was Belgium's 10th straight unbeaten match in all competitions.

Here are the key takeaways from a sobering night on the World Cup preparation trail:

Mauricio Pochettino's goalkeeper swap created a story where there didn't need to be one

Since last summer's Gold Cup, just one piece of the USMNT's lineup has been steady: the goalkeeper. NYCFC's Matt Freese has stood between the sticks for twelve straight matches, and with four games remaining before the World Cup kicks off this summer, it was widely assumed the starting spot was his.

Not exactly. In a bid to test his number two in a high-pressure situation, coach Mauricio Pochettino opted to start New England's Matt Turner in this Belgium match instead. It was a baffling call. Testing multiple goalkeepers is a reasonable goal, but the time to do that was months ago, not in the pressure cooker of pre-World Cup friendlies.

Turner wasn't bad against Belgium. He made some stellar saves and he wasn't to blame for the majority of the USMNT's goal concessions. It hardly matters, though. Perception becomes reality, after all, and the perception is that the USMNT conceded multiple goals after switching goalkeepers. That doesn't help Turner, Freese or Pochettino, and it creates drama in a place where there wasn't any. 

As lineup experiments go, this one was pretty questionable. It unsettled Freese, disrupted the USMNT's already injury-ravaged back line and put Turner in position where he simply couldn't succeed. We lost the ability to see Freese against top opposition and gained no real data on Turner in return.

A free Weston McKennie is a happy Weston McKennie

Pochettino was loose and philosophical in his pre-match news conference, sharing his thoughts on everything from tactics and substitutions to national culture and man-management. At one point, he shared a fascinating observation about American culture he'd picked up from his players. 

"Before I arrived here, I watched all the sport, American sport, Pochettino said. "All the athletes that were involved in different sports, played like they play free."

"When you are free, you perform."

No one on this team enjoys freedom more than wide-roaming utility man Weston McKennie. He is best when he has plenty of space and plenty of opportunities and worst when he's boxed into a hyper-specific role. Pochettino recognized that and gave McKennie all the freedom he desired in this Belgium match; McKennie thanked him by opening the scoring in joyous, impish fashion off a pitch-perfect corner kick. Americans and freedom: Who would've thought?