The United States takes on Belgium in the sweet sixteen of the World Cup on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. The Belgians, who have been talked about so much as a "dark horse" in this competition that they now must be considered overrated, won each of their three group stage matches in Group H - though admittedly in fairly unimpressive fashion. The Red Devils will still be heavy favorites against the United States, who defied the odds and escaped the “Group of Death,” finishing second in the group behind Germany.
Despite being one of the eight seeded teams in this competition, this “golden” generation of Belgians are experiencing their very first major international tournament, and this World Cup marks the first time Belgium has qualified for a World Cup since 2002. The Belgians also failed to qualify for the last three European championships, so while its stars have plenty of experience in major tournaments at the club level, this is the first time they will be tested on the international one.
Belgium’s official name is the “Kingdom of Belgium” and it is a federal monarchy where the king is at least the nominal head of state with certain appointment powers. The government also has a bicameral federal parliament made up of a Senate and Chamber of Representatives. Belgium has compulsory voting (i.e. you get punished if you do not vote), which not surprisingly means that they have one of the highest voter turnout rates in the world, making the “I Voted!” stickers that we hand out in this country a necessary precautionary measure.
Belgium is also unique in that it has three official languages: Dutch (a.k.a. Flemish), French, and German. In fact, its national anthem - a beautiful, uplifting marching song that seems more fit for a production of Les Misérables than preceding a football match - contains lyrics in all three languages.
Though there are no specific statistics on the issue, it is estimated that about 60% of the population speaks Flemish, with the remaining 40% speaking French. This issue has presented itself within the Belgian national team, as various teammates have found themselves unable to communicate with one another, and there have been splits within the squad caused by this problem over the years. Keeping this current squad together are captain Vincent Kompany and manager Marc Wilmot, who are both fluent in all three official languages. The issue of a split identity and how it can affect a person’s upbringing can be seen in one of Belgium’s most famous citizens, the leader of industrial power, Virtucon.
As Americans, it is our duty to view the Belgians as the enemy for the next 24 hours. As such, all Belgian waffles must now be referred to as “Freedom Waffles.” Also, it does not matter if it is your favorite beer, there must be no consumption of Stella Artois or any other Belgian beers on Tuesday. Tuesday is the time for American beers.
If Jürgen Klinsmann asked me to give the pre-match pep-talk to the team, I would use one of Belgium’s most famous citizen’s words against them. Though the gentleman hails from Brussels, he frequently has played Americans in his films with astounding accuracy. When addressing Clint, Kyle, Tim and Jozy, a verbatim replication of this speech, with “Belgium” substituted for “Bison” should provide all the motivation that the Americans will need to take the pitch:
Attempting to provide a Van Damme-esque kick to the United States’ face will be Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year, Eden Hazard. Hazard, who plays his club football at Chelsea, has been something of a disappointment so far in this World Cup campaign. Though he has yet to score, he has tallied two assists and has shown flashes of the form that he normally displays at Chelsea. Hazard’s calling card is his pace, which he frequently uses to flash past defenders to the byline, before rifling the ball back into the box for a teammate to finish, which is exactly what happened against Russia during the group stage. Though he can move around, Hazard typically operates from the left flank, which means that right back Fabian Johnson will have to be on top of his game on Tuesday evening.
At the back end of the pitch, Belgium’s goal is very secure in the hands of youngster Thibaut Courtois. Courtois, a Chelsea player who spent last season on loan with Atletíco Madrid, is already one of the best goalkeepers in the world despite being only 22 years old. He has only let in one goal in Belgium's first three matches, and finding a way to get the ball past him will be perhaps the toughest challenge for the Americans. Courtois is unlikely to make a major mistake, so it likely will take a moment of brilliance from Clint Dempsey, a returning Jozy Altidore (if he can play), or a surprise candidate like Jermaine Jones in order to score.
Working in the Americans’ favor is the fact that Belgium is forced to start players at both fullback positions that typically play in central defense for their club countries. The ability of Fabian Johnson, DeMarcus Beasley, Graham Zusi, and others to take advantage of this on the wings could be crucial in determining whether the United States is able to advance to the quarterfinals.
Another big matchup to look for will be the battle in the center of midfield. Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones must contain Belgian’s Marouane Fellaini and prevent him from sending long passes down the wings to Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne that could open up the U.S. defense. It will be an interesting tactical football matchup, but an even better matchup of hairstyles.
The two nations played a friendly in Cleveland back in May 2013 - a match in which the Belgians won 4-2, but thoroughly dominated the action and could have won by a more lopsided score. At the time, it was viewed as a sign of how far the Americans had to go before they could be expected to compete with the European giants. Even Tim Howard admitted that it could be “years” before the United States was able to close the gap. Yet a mere 14 months later, things look a bit different as many of the players that dominated the match back in May 2013 are no longer featuring for Belgium. Star striker Christian Benteke and wunderkind Romelu Lukaku dominated that day, but Benteke is missing the World Cup due to injury, and Lukaku looked lost in the group stage matches and may not even start against the USA.
On paper, the Belgians have a significant advantage in terms of individual quality over the American squad. Their roster reads like a “who’s who” of up-and-coming talent in the Premier League, but the question that dogs them is whether they are truly a team rather than a collection of individuals. There are no such questions about the Americans, who may not play in the biggest leagues in the world, but work together as a cohesive unit to maximize the most out of their abilities. The Americans are battle tested, having braved the jungles of Manaus and escaped the Group of Death to reach the knockout round. They will make the Belgians earn their spot in the quarterfinals and will fight them until the last minute of extra time. In the words of a great American President, “we will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on, we’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day! (3 days early)”
Prediction: U.S. 1, Belgium 0
The U.S. plays Belgium Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.
PS: If your boss asks where you are, just plead patriotism.
