USMNT-Belgium: Three key factors that could decide World Cup knockout match

But Senegal didn't win this match: It crumbled in the final minutes of regular time and allowed Belgium to equalize with seconds remaining on the clock, then lost 3-2 in extra time. The USMNT can learn from this as well: It cannot get tired, it cannot get complacent and it cannot switch off at the end of the match. Not when Belgium has strikers like Romelu Lukaku ready and waiting to come off the bench.

The Folarin Balogun of it all

Shout it from the rooftops: USMNT striker Folarin Balogun is free. The freewheeling, free-scoring attacker received a questionable red card in his last match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was expected to be suspended for this Belgium clash, but in a shocking turn of events, FIFA rescinded his suspension just one day before the match.

These kinds of FIFA reversals rarely happen. Balogun — and the USMNT as a whole — is very, very lucky to be on the receiving end of one, no matter how egregious the original red card decision might have been.

Seeing Balogun back on the roster is a huge mental boost for the USMNT. He's the group's top scorer in this World Cup with three goals to his name, and he'll be hungry to make the most of his luck here now that FIFA has given him the green light to compete.

Goalkeeping excellence under pressure

On one hand, this is one of those "well duh" factors: Of course a standout goalkeeping performance from the USMNT could make or break this match. Dig into Belgium's statistics from this World Cup, though, and the true importance of a strong goalie showing becomes clear.

For all its floundering in the early rounds of the tournament, Belgium got off significantly more shots than any other team did: a whopping 92 across four matches. (For context, swashbuckling France managed just 77, defending champion Argentina managed just 56 and the USMNT managed just 52.) Remember when Turkiye put up ridiculous attacking numbers in the group stage only to find that it simply couldn't score, leading coach Vincenzo Montella to wonder if fate was against his side? Yeah, that's what Belgium has been dealing with, too, with one crucial explanation: It's faced a series of brilliant goalkeepers whose saves have taken fate into their own hands.

The USMNT's goalkeepers haven't been tested much at this World Cup: They've averaged just 1.25 saves per game, with no game bringing more than three saves total. Belgium's opposition goalkeepers, meanwhile, racked up an average of 4.5 saves per game as they managed Belgium's punchy attacking threat. Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand made a whopping seven to hold his team to a 0-0 draw. If the USMNT is going to hang tough with the Red Devils, it's going to need its best-ever tournament goalkeeping performance to make it happen.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.