United States, one of the co-hosts of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, was thrashed 5-2 by Belgium in a friendly two and a half months before the competition, as part of the friendlies this week.
The United States soccer team coached by Mauricio Pochettino needs to build excitement for the local fans, who expect them to at least equal their best recent result in World Cup, quarter-finals in 2002 (since then, their best result was reaching round of 16, and missed the 2018 edition), but with performances like the one seen on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, there's little reason for excitement.
The match was borderline unwatchable for fans watching on TV... as, inexplicably, both teams played with almost identical kits. Belgium wore light blue with pink accents, while USA wore red and white stripes: both teams debuted new kits for the first time, but fans watching at home could barely distinguish who was who if it wasn't for the shorts, which left fans angry, and Belgian television apologising to viewers.
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