United States emotions got the better of them at the start when the Belgium destroy them on the pitch. Matt Freese, a Harvard alumnus, was under siege and as a result Belgium got an easy goal at 9 minutes by Charles De Ketelaere to make it 1-0. The United States would calm down and Malik Tillman would score off the free kick and deflection in the 31^st minute to make it 1-1. However, the United States’ emotions would get the better of them again just 61 seconds later. De Ketelaere would score again to make it 2-1 Belgium in the 33^rd minute. Halftime could not come at a better time for the US as this was one of the worst halves they had in this World Cup.

Duke is sticking with two powerhouse picks as the knockout stage rolls on:

• USA over Belgium

• France over Morocco

United States entered the knockout stage of the World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. Matt Freese, Harvard alumnus, returns as goalkeeper for the US.

The stakes are higher, and Duke is ready to make his Round of 32 predictions: USA over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany over Paraguay.

United States was under pressure going into match day 2 of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. Australia has proven themselves as dangerous opponents thanks to an upset win of Turkey. Nestory Irankunda of Australia was a menace for the Turkish and was shaping up to be one for the USA. Furthermore, Christian Pulisic was ruled out prior to the start of the match after getting injured during the last match.

The United States came into the 2026 World Cup hungry. Past competitions and international friendly results have led to dismal results entering this World Cup and the team is currently seeking a reset entering the tournament.

Mexico and Canada co-hosts along with the United States in the World Cup, have already produced favorable results for the host nations. Mexico won their first match and Canada got a draw to produce their first ever point in a World Cup.

The US is not favored to win the World Cup, but they need to come away from this tournament with a positive outlook for the men’s team going into the future. Matt Freese, a Harvard alumnus, gets the start today over the New England Revolution’s Matt Turner who is more seasonal than Fresse in the goal for the USMNT. Perhaps Freese’s start is a look to the future.

Duke is making his World Cup predictions: Duke has picked USA to win over Paraguay in the Group Stage Group D match.

USMNT - good luck boys.