The dream of a deep summer run on home soil came to a crashing, painful halt at Seattle Stadium.
From the opening whistle, Belgium’s star-studded lineup looked intent on spoiling the party in the Pacific Northwest. The Red Devils struck first in the 9th minute when Charles De Ketelaere pounced on a loose ball following a defensive miscue in the American box, slotting it past goalkeeper Matt Freese.
The USMNT responded with resilience. In the 31st minute, Malik Tillman electrified the home crowd by standing over a 30-yard free kick and firing a swerving strike that deflected off the wall and wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois to level the match at 1–1.
However, the euphoria was short-lived.Just three minutes later, Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard carved open the flank and delivered a cross that De Ketelaere headed cleanly into the top corner, pulling the Belgians ahead once more.
The defeat marks a bitter exit for the USMNT, who had looked formidable in the group stage and the Round of 32 with clean, organized wins over Paraguay, Australia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Ultimately, three of Belgium’s four goals stemmed directly from catastrophic giveaways in the defensive third—a margin of error that world-class opponents will exploit every single time.
Why they will win: They have “world class” players at every position. They are the defending World Cup Champions, and they have perhaps the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi. Championships are won with defense. Argentina have one of the top Goalkeepers in the world in Emi Martinez. They have defenders with grit and intelligence. The midfield works hard and is impossible to put under pressure. Up front they have 3 dangerous forwards who can all score. And at the end of the day, they have Messi!
Why they won’t win: Only Brazil have won back to back titles, and that was over 60 years ago! Argentina look a little slow at the outside back position. Against teams like England or France that could be an issue.
Spain have Lamine Yamal. The great up and coming talent. He is great on the dribble and can score goals with his magical left foot. Rodri, Alvaro Morata and Nico Williams give the kind of support that every country would love to have.
Why they won’t win: Rodri has had some injury issues and goals have been harder to come by in their most recent matches. Counting on such a young player as Yamal is risky at this level. Can Yamal shine with the whole world watching?
France are the favorites in most people’s eyes because they have the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappé and they have the best attacking three in the world with Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembele. They have plenty of back ups as well. Their midfield is strong and they have exceptional quickness at the back.
Why they won’t win: We have to dig deep to find a reason why they won’t win. They have a tendancy to play “wide open”. Knowing that they can score goals at any moment means they often send lots of players forward and leave themselves exposed at the back. It will take an exceptional team to stop their attack and beat them on the counter. Argentina did it in 2022 with Messi. They might be the only team that could do it again.
Why they will win: England have Harry Kane. He is a goal scoring machine who dominated the UEFA Champions League and now the World Cup. He is big, and skillful and he seems to avoid injury. If he stays hot, England have a real chance.
Why they won’t win: England are only average at the back. The center backs are aging and dealing with recent injuries. In midfield they are solid but not special. Jude Bellingham is their superstar at attacking mid. Up front they have Harry Kane and Harry Kane. England’s wing play has disappeared during the Cup. Without better play in wide positions, it will be hard to beat Argentina.
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