Overview
- The Round-of-16 match kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Monday in Seattle at Lumen Field and will be broadcast on FOX with streams on fubo, Fox One, and the Fox Sports app.
- Folarin Balogun, who received a straight red in the Round of 32 that carried an automatic one-game suspension, had that ban suspended by FIFA and is now available for selection.
- Media projections expect Mauricio Pochettino to name an unchanged US starting XI in a 4-2-3-1 with Matt Freese in goal and Balogun leading the attack.
- Belgium is likely to start Charles De Ketelaere with Kevin De Bruyne in midfield and to limit Romelu Lukaku’s minutes because of his reduced endurance, a setup analysts say weakens Belgium’s striker options.
- The match settles immediate stakes: the U.S. seeks its first World Cup quarterfinal since 2002 and a measure of revenge for its 2014 Round-of-16 loss to Belgium, with refereeing decisions and VAR scrutiny seen as decisive factors this tournament.