USMNT braces for Belgium clash as ticket prices swing and spy fears surface
The United States meet Belgium in a World Cup round-of-16 match in Seattle on Monday, carrying rising expectations after three straight wins, while ticket prices have swung sharply and the team erected training-ground barriers over espionage concerns.
Rising expectations
The United States enter Monday's round-of-16 match against Belgium in Seattle with growing confidence after wins over Paraguay, Australia and a 2-0 victory against Bosnia despite playing the final 36 minutes with 10 men. Defender Sergino Dest called it possibly the biggest game in U.S. soccer history so far.
Hopefully we will win this game and then we can even play more games in this tournament. Because we have an amazing group at the moment. We play really well and we're all just so motivated and the country believes, everybody believes at the moment.
Belgium, by contrast, needed a dramatic 3-2 extra-time comeback against Senegal, with a VAR-assisted penalty deciding the contest. The European side's so-called Golden Generation, led by Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois, may be playing its final World Cup.
Ticket market swings
Get-in prices for the match have fluctuated sharply. After peaking near $4,000 on June 1, the price fell to $1,549 on Tuesday, spiked to $2,836 following the U.S. win over Bosnia, then slid to $1,423 on Saturday afternoon before rebounding to $1,635 by early evening Eastern Time. That late recovery pushed the USA-Belgium game to the second-highest get-in price among the eight round-of-16 fixtures, behind only Mexico-England at $3,574.
- Price dips to $1,549 on Tuesday
- Price drops to $1,423
- Price rebounds to $1,635 at 6pm ET
- Mexico vs England
- 3574 $
- USA vs Belgium
- 1635 $
- Argentina vs Egypt
- 1599 $
- Brazil vs Norway
- 1537 $
- Portugal vs Spain
- 1367 $
- Switzerland vs Colombia
- 972 $
- Paraguay vs France
- 914 $
- Canada vs Morocco
- 721 $
Spy precautions
The U.S. team erected barriers on a hill at their University of Washington training facility to block sightlines from tall buildings, including a dormitory. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino had earlier taken a 360-degree video of the area, joking about "espias" (spies). A team spokesman later said Pochettino was joking, but the screens appeared two weeks later. There is no specific suspicion of Belgian spying, though Canada's drone scandal at the 2024 Olympics was cited as a cautionary tale.
Key absences and history
The U.S. will be without striker Folarin Balogun, suspended after a red card against Bosnia. Belgium winger Jeremy Doku, who missed a group game for the birth of his child and has been ill, needs more support, according to teammate Dodi Lukebakio.
Jeremy is a very good player. I think he deserves more support from everyone because when he's fit and playing well, you all know how much damage he can do to the opposition.
The match echoes the 2014 round of 16, when Belgium eliminated the U.S. after extra time, a game remembered for Tim Howard's 16 saves. Lukebakio, who scored twice in a 5-2 friendly win over the U.S. in March, called Monday's contest a "50-50" affair.
