The US men’s national soccer team takes the pitch again this evening, facing Belgium in the World Cup’s Round of 16 in Seattle (Fox, 8 pm ET). The victor faces the winner of tomorrow’s Portugal-Spain matchup (up-to-date bracket).
A victory tonight would propel the US to their second quarterfinals in modern history, and first since 2002. (They finished third in the 1930 tournament, which had 13 teams.) The Yanks—the squad’s semiofficial nickname—will be with striker Folarin Balogun, whose suspension following a red card in Wednesday’s victory over and Herzegovina was lifted yesterday (and follows a call to FIFA from President Donald Trump).
Balogun, born in Brooklyn by accident and raised in the UK, is the team’s leading scorer in the tournament, with three goals on 11 shots. Despite his presence, betting odds have the match as a toss-up.
Brush up on your Belgian knowledge ahead of the game, from the waffles to Brussels’ famous “peeing boy” statue, here.
