United States crash out of World Cup in extra time, lose 2-1 to Belgium

The word of the week leading up to the United States’ round of 16 clash with Belgium was possession. Juergen Klinsmann’s men certainly couldn’t withstand a third consecutive European power by defending for 90 minutes. They did, for 95 in fact, before finally breaking down at the foot of Kevin De Bruyne early in the first half of extra time. Romelo Lukaku doubled and Julian Green pulled one back as the game ended 2-1.

American goalie/hero had made 12 miraculous saves until disgruntled substitute striker Lukaku came on and completely changed the game. He used superior size and strength to cut through the US defense and dragged a pass back across the box. The ball caromed to the foot of De Bruyne, who took one touch to jumble two American defenders and slide a shot that would not be Howard’s 13th stop.

Jun 28, 2014; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; USA midfielder Julian Green’s 107th minute strike was on target against Belgium, but the Americans still lost 2-1. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Lukaku stamped his name on the match 10 minutes later, slotting home De Bruyne’s diagonal ball with a stunning one-timer. Down two goals to nil, the USMNT had 20 minutes to turn fortunes around.

Klinsmann threw the hail mary by bringing on youngster Julian Green as the final substitute. His wizardry worked immediately as the 19-year-old from Bayern Munich sent his first touch to the back of the net. The one-time volley from Manhattan Beach resident Michael Bradley got one goal back two minutes into the second half of extra time.

With newfound courage the red, white and blue pushed forward and nearly equalized off a nifty set play in the 113th minute.  Jones ran over the ball, Bradley played it low to a cutting Yedlin who flicked to Dempsey behind the wall. Courtois proved his worth with an unbelievable save and the ball was eventually cleared.

The US mustered another harmless chance before the referee blew the whistle on their 2014 World Cup. Belgium left it late again, having only led 35 total minutes in the group stage. But when Lukaku doubled the score, you got the feeling it could have been 2-0 in regulation.

The newest chapter of the United States’ manifest destiny nearly got off to a disastrous start. Howard was thrust into action 40 seconds in, stopping Divock Origi from scoring nearly as quickly as Clint Dempsey did against Ghana. It was the first of  his World Cup-record 16 saves, nearly all of them highlight quality.

Jul 1, 2014; Salvador, Bahia, BRAZIL; United States goalkeeper Tim Howard (1) makes a save as United States defender Matt Besler (5) and Belgium forward Divock Origi (17) look on during the first half of their round of sixteen match in the 2014 World Cup at Arena Fonte Nova. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Belgium dictated play a majority of the first half. But the Red Devils lacked the threat they opened with. Cross after cross began as open play down either flank only to be cleared away by a Yankee defender or shot directly at Howard. The American keeper wasn’t truly tested the final 20 minutes of half. But the team’s meddle was when defender Fabian Johnson went down with a strained hamstring in the 30th minute.

On the other end of the field, Thibault Courtois spent most of that time looking on from a distance. A rebound chip from Yedlin forced a punch out of him just before the whistle. The Belgian goalie’s only other save came from a weak left-footed Dempsey shot 20 minutes into the match.

DeAndre Yedlin replaced Johnson with an air of confidence, immediately winning a corner kick his first time on the ball. Though the attacking fullback got involved in forward play, Johnson’s injury was a huge blow to swallow. He and fellow German-American Jermaine Jones had been the team’s most consistent connecting forces in the group stage. Yedlin, on the other hand, would repeatedly get caught ranging too far forward late in the game, exposing the rest of the exhausted back line to Jan Vertonghen and Eden Hazard.

Juergen Klinsmann added fuel to an already fiery storyline before kick off by replacing dreadlocked midfielder Kyle Beckerman with Geoff Cameron. The Stoke City defender had already been replaced once himself by Omar Gonzalez for two costly mistakes against Portugal. Rather than move Cameron to defense and bring on Beckerman, Klinsmann opted for the 20-year0old Seattle Sounder.

None of that really mattered as the Belgians looked to be toying with the American defense for most of the game. Ian Darke announced through 60 minutes that the United States were getting outshot 17 to three. Howard turned in the performance of a lifetime, deservedly named Man of the Match in a losing effort.

The United States’ World Cup run fell short of the quarterfinals, but they shift towards Russia 2018 with a number of positive takeaways. Julian Green became the youngest player to score a World Cup goal since Leo Messi in 2006. Johnson and Yedlin emerged as meddling attackers who can threaten up the wings from the back. Unfortunately, the American hype machine was working on overload leading up to this match and Belgium showed why they’ve been a tournament favorite from the beginning.

Heavy.