As the World Cup’s knockout round heats up, the most highly anticipated match-up of Monday’s slate is not the iconic Iberian rivalry between Spain and Portugal, but the high-stakes Round of 16 clash between the host United States and Belgium in Seattle – a game that already carries off-field drama and could literally move the Richter scale.
Seattle’s Lumen Field, already known as one of the loudest venues in North American professional sports, made waves during the U.S. men’s national team’s group stage win over Australia, where crowd roars were intense enough to register as detectable seismic activity. With a quarterfinal spot on the line and a home crowd of more than 80,000 raucous fans expected, that shaking could reach new levels when the two sides kick off Monday evening.
The biggest pre-match shake-up came in an unexpected reversal from FIFA, which overturned American star forward Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-game suspension for a red card picked up in the team’s final group stage win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Balogun, who leads the U.S. with three tournament goals – tying Landon Donovan’s 2010 total for the second-most by an American man at a single World Cup, trailing only Bert Patenaude’s four goals at the inaugural 1930 tournament – was suspended after stepping awkwardly on Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemović late in the match, which the U.S. played 30 minutes down a man. The reversal, which came after U.S. President Donald Trump placed a direct call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has left the Royal Belgian Football Association publicly “astonished” but delivered a massive boost to the American side ahead of their biggest match in modern history.
U.S. captain Christian Pulisic emphasized that the Seattle fanbase has already delivered unmatched energy throughout the tournament, and their support will only grow with Balogun’s return. “(Seattle) fans are going to bring it, no matter what,” Pulisic said. “I think that’s what they’ve shown this trip, this tournament so far. I’m sure when (Balogun) walks out, they’re going to give that much more of a roar.”
For the U.S., a win on Monday would mark two historic milestones: it would be the first time the men’s side has won two consecutive knockout matches at a World Cup, and push them into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. Though Belgium hammered the U.S. 5-2 in a March warm-up friendly, the Americans enter the clash on a hot streak, having opened the tournament with a rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay before topping their group.
Belgium, for their part, calls Seattle a home away from home: the side has been based at the Seattle Sounders’ training facility since June 13, and has already played two matches at Lumen Field, earning a 1-1 group stage draw with Egypt before a 3-2 extra-time win over Senegal in the Round of 32. Belgian midfielder Dodi Lukébakio said that dramatic win has given the side extra confidence heading into Monday’s match, while defender Maxim De Cuyper noted the team is prepared to block out the hostile home crowd. “If you play against 80,000 supporters or with 80,000, you have to try to do the same,” De Cuyper said. “And I think that’s what we’re going to try (to do).”
Though the U.S.-Belgium clash has stolen the day’s headlines, the earlier match between Iberian neighbors Spain and Portugal carries its own historic weight, as 41-year-old Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo confirms this tournament will be his final World Cup appearance. “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be leaving with a clear conscience, not a hundred percent but a thousand,” Ronaldo said in translated remarks. “I gave everything to football. I didn’t do it out of need. It’s because of the passion that I play on this national team because I love to play football.”
The two sides have a 105-year rivalry full of memorable matches: nearly a year ago, Portugal beat Spain in a penalty shootout to claim the UEFA Nations League title, and eight years ago in Russia, Ronaldo notched his only World Cup hat trick to secure a 3-3 group stage draw against La Roja. Portugal is aiming for back-to-back quarterfinal appearances, and has only advanced past that stage once, in 2006, when they reached the semifinals.
Spain, by contrast, enters the match as the only team yet to concede a goal in the tournament. The 2010 World Cup champions, who have not reached the quarterfinals since their title win, opened their campaign with a scoreless draw against underdog Cape Verde (who captured the world’s attention by advancing to the knockout round before pushing defending champion Argentina to extra time in a 3-2 loss), then went on to beat South Korea, Uruguay and Austria by a combined 8-0. “We know that every game is a final and it’s difficult,” Spain midfielder Rodri said in translated remarks. “We’re going game by game. We don’t think much further. We have a very tough rival, and if we’re able to beat Portugal, then we’ll be one step closer.”
Monday’s doubleheader kicks off the Round of 16, with two more matches scheduled for Tuesday: Argentina faces Egypt in Atlanta at noon EDT, while Switzerland takes on Colombia in Vancouver at 4 p.m. EDT.