The United States will look to continue their miracle World Cup run on Tuesday when they take on Belgium in the knockout round. The match is scheduled for a 4:00 (EST) p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds for the match have Belgium listed as the favorites to advance in the tournament.
The growth of soccer popularity in the United States is undeniable. The Americans are getting behind the men's national team and in Tuesday's match against Belgium the country is hoping for a happy result.
The United States found a way to navigate their way into the knockout round and drew a Belgium team that has been inconsistent in their group stage matches. Both the USA and Belgium are teams that will work to outlast their opponents, so we expect a highly-played contest between these two clubs. Look for both teams to find a way to attack the other's defense and get some one on one situations in front of the goal. Both American strikers will be on the pitch at some point together as Jozy Altidore was cleared to play at least some of the time in this one. He probably won't be able to play a full 90 minutes, but the United States might not need him too.
Clint Dempsey has been a fantastic player in this World Cup for the Americans. The captain is going to have to continue his presence on the pitch in this matchup. With Altidore on the field at the same time, the United States have a couple of forwards that can cause defenses troubles.
Belgium won their group stage for the first time and the national team hasn't lost in 13 matches. That's certainly impressive because they know how to win. But they are battling some injuries as Anthony Vanden Borre broke his leg and Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen are banged up as well.
During the group stages teams played wide open, but we've seen in the round of 16 that teams are using an emphasis on defense and lower-scored contests.
The Americans will have to keep Eden Hazard from making plays in the midfield. He can command the attention of the United States and is effective.
This has the makings of a great contest and both teams are in great shape physically. Both Belgium and the United States are full of players that can run all day and we expect both teams to attack forward and try and win. If either team sets back and plays cautiously, their chances to win decrease.
We like the Americans to pull the upset.
Free Pick: United States 2, Belgium 1
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