De Bruyne and Trossard rested ahead of USA showdown
De Bruyne and Trossard rested, no injury alarm
Kevin De Bruyne and Leandro Trossard sat out training Friday ahead of the round of 16 clash with the United States. Brandon Mechele also missed the session (4). This is rest, not injury, sources confirm. Both are expected to be available (2). Garcia giving your two most important creators a breather three days before the biggest match of the campaign so far.
Balogun suspended, USMNT without their striker
Folarin Balogun will miss the Belgium match through suspension after his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standard one-game ban, no additional discipline. The USMNT forward has been a key outlet for Pochettino's side. Your backline catches a break.
Defour: defence is Belgium's World Cup problem
Steven Defour did not hold back. "That has been our big pain point the entire World Cup," the ex-international said about Belgium's defence. His message to Rudi Garcia: fix the backline before the United States match (5). The 5–1 win over New Zealand papered over the cracks. Senegal, the potential quarter-final opponent, would punish those gaps.
Ticket madness: $2,000 to $7,000 for USA-Belgium
If you are in Seattle, be ready to pay. Tickets for the round of 16 match are going for $2,000 to $7,000 on the secondary market (3). Lumen Field holds 69,000. American fans are treating this like the tournament's defining match (6).
Egypt 1–1 Australia, Hany makes history
Australia and Egypt drew 1–1 in their group finale Friday, meaning Egypt lost the group to Belgium (10). Mohamed Hany scored his second own goal of this World Cup, having also put one past his own keeper against Belgium. He is the first player since 1966 to score two own goals at a single men's World Cup. Egypt still advance to the knockout stage.
1986 echoes: can Moreira spark something?
The parallels are creeping in. In 1986, a young generation including Patrick Vervoort, Georges Grün, and Stéphane Demol turned a crisis-ridden campaign into a semi-final run in Mexico. Now Diego Moreira is the name being whispered as the injection of youth this squad might need (7). Garcia has three positions still up for debate.
Club Brugge sign two PSG teenagers
Club Brugge have moved early in the summer window. Samba Coulibaly (18) and Elijah Ly (18) are joining from Paris Saint-Germain (8). Two French talents, both seen as long-term projects for the Belgian champions.
Fan reactions
The foul stats are turning heads. Belgium committed 22 fouls in the round of 32, the most of any team, while Cape Verde finished as the cleanest side of the tournament. The Balogun suspension is the dominant pre-match narrative in American circles, with USMNT fans fretting over losing their striker for this clash. Full discussion here.
Sources
- 2. nieuwsblad.be — Lionel Messi komt met de schrik vrij tegen Kaapverdië, rust voor De Bruyne en Trossard en een mislukt ‘Van Gaaltje': dit heb je vannacht gemist
- 3. nieuwsblad.be — Wie USA-België wil bijwonen moet 2.000 tot 7.000 dollar betalen: waarom de ticketprijzen voor 1/8ste finale van Rode Duivels helemaal door het dak gaan
- 4. hln.be — Geen Kevin De Bruyne, Brandon Mechele én Leandro Trossard op training bij Rode Duivels
- 5. nieuwsblad.be — Volgens Defour moet Garcia vooral achteraan sleutelen: “Dat is al het hele WK ons grote pijnpunt”
- 6. cbssports.com — Has the USMNT actually proven anything yet at the expanded World Cup?
- 7. nieuwsblad.be — “Wij aten het gras op”: krijgen Moreira en co. de schwung er weer in, net als de jongere Duivels op het WK 1986 in Mexico?
- 8. voetbalprimeur.nl — Club Brugge slaat slag bij PSG en haalt twee 'boezemvrienden' naar België
- 10. sporza.be — LIVESTREAM: Flashback naar match tegen België: zelfde Egyptische (eigen) doelpuntenmakers zorgen voor spanning