USMNT Receives Major Boost Ahead of Belgium Match
The United States and Belgium face off in the Round of 16 in Seattle on Monday night, and the USMNT has just received its biggest boost of the tournament: Star striker Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension has been overturned by FIFA. The decision has come with plenty of scrutiny, but for the United States, it is massive.
This already felt like an uphill battle without its No. 9, and now the playing field feels a lot more level. Both teams came into this tournament on different trajectories, and both have answered some questions while creating new ones.
Team Trajectories and Tournament Performance
The Americans dominated the group stage outside the Türkiye match, where they rotated most of the squad, and then handled business in the Round of 32. Belgium, on the other hand, has underwhelmed, opening with draws against Egypt and Iran, and even its Round of 32 win over Senegal required a massive comeback to keep the golden generation World Cup dreams alive.
I like the draw here because both teams have too much talent to easily separate. When two teams are this hard to split, don't force a side on the money line. That usually means the value is on the draw at a massive price. Betting draws has been a cash-cow this tournament, and I like the +235 price tag for another one on Monday night.
