The U.S. men's national team fell 5-2 to Belgium in an international friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, March 28.
In one of his last evaluation chances before this summer's World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino leaned of the majority of his first-choice options. The only surprise was Matt Turner getting the nod in goal as the starting job appears to still be in flux.
The U.S. more than held its own against the ninth-ranked Belgians in the first half, often being the more aggressive of the two sides. That mindset was rewarded near the 40-minute mark as Weston McKennie opened the scoring, finishing off a corner kick from close range. However, soon after, Belgium found an equalizer just before the halftime whistle.
The second 45 was a completely different story as the Red Devils took over the match and proved their quality. It took them just eight minutes to find the go-ahead goal through Amadou Onana. A penalty kick and two Dodi Lukebakio goals later and the Americans found themselves getting blown out.
Let's take a look back at how the USMNT players fared in a disappointing loss to Belgium.
GK: Matt Turner - 5.5
Luck may not be on his side after getting a prime chance to win the starting job. Despite making several good saves, he was beaten five times. Even if there was little he could do to stop any of the goals, conceding five times is never a good sign.
RB: Tim Weah - 4.5
Playing in a wingback type of role, he really didn't do either element of the job very well. He was ineffective in the attacking aspect and was constantly lost defensively having to defend an extremely dynamic winger in Jeremy Doku, who created a ton of chances.
CB: Mark McKenzie - 5
The pairing with Tim Ream didn't inspire any confidence in this team's ability to defend teams of elite quality. While it's hard to pinpoint any specific individual mistakes he made, as a whole something clearly isn't working and needs to be addressed.
CB: Tim Ream - 4.5
For better or worse, Ream seems to be Pochettino's guy. He's been given the armband and appears to be the on-field leader of the defense. Unfortunately, his club form has followed him to the international level as he looks a step off the pace and conceded a penalty. It may have been a harsh call, but that's the reality of the VAR era. It has to be a worrying sign that the team's most senior leader is in questionable form heading into the summer.
LB: Antonee Robinson - 7
The return of Jedi to the starting lineup was sorely needed. He showed exactly what the left side of the formation has been missing with both his adventures forward and defensive ability. His willingness to make runs in behind and stretch the opposing back line is crucial to Pochettino's attacking identity. Set piece delivery seems to be creeping into his arsenal of weapons as well as he played a perfect corner that looped onto the foot of McKennie for the opening goal.
CM: Tanner Tessmann - 6
Tessmann may be the most difficult player to assess going into the summer in terms of where exactly he fits on the roster and within the squad. He did a fine job in this one as the player who drops in between the centerbacks in the buildup. His minutes could be directly tied to the health of Tyler Adams going forward.
CM: Johnny Cardoso - 6
Curiously only received 45 minutes before being replaced. He's fighting for a spot on the final roster and didn't hurt his chances with this performance as he was clean on the ball and did fine defensively. While he had no standout moments, he's clearly capable of doing the job if called upon this summer.
RAM: Weston McKennie - 7.5
Playing as the team's most versatile attacking option, Wes floated all around the field to get involved as much as possible. After being denied a goal midway through the first half, he made no mistakes on his second chance, turning in a perfectly delivered Robinson corner from close range.
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It's quite clear that he is an integral part of Pochettino's creative plans in attack. He will be leaned on heavily to produce like this throughout the summer.
CAM: Malik Tillman - 6
It seemed like a forgettable day for Tillman, but he contributed three key passes from his central attacking position. He wasn't overly involved or noticeable dynamic, but still found a way to produce tangible results against a top team.
LAM: Christian Pulisic - 4.5
Pulisic's struggles in 2026 continue as he simply doesn't look like himself. The explosive dynamism we're used to seeing isn't there. He looks disjointed and a step slow. Pochettino can only hope something clicks with him and he rediscovers his top form soon.
ST: Folarin Balogun - 5.5
It was a decent showing for the USA's striker in this one. His holdup play was fine, but it's his off-the-ball movement that sets him apart from the other options behind him. He had one solid chance but was unable to beat the goalkeeper.
Sub: Cristian Roldan - 4.5
The only thing that changed at halftime was his inclusion. The field tilted dramatically after he stepped on the field. Is it fair to lay that blame at his feet? Probably not. But the optics are horrible.
Sub: Max Arfsten - 5
Struggled to close down the wings and was punished for it. He's not Antonee Robinson, but he's a fine alternative if needed.
Sub: Alex Freeman - 5
Clearly a better defender than Weah, but Belgium still enjoyed success on their left flank after he came on.
Sub: Sebastian Berhalter - 4.5
Didn't get a chance to get on the ball much. His only memorable moment was failing to clear a ball out of the box resulting in a goal for Belgium.
Sub: Gio Reyna - 5
Just didn't get involved much in his 20 minutes. He probably should've been put on sooner to try and shift the momentum.
Sub: Joe Scally - 5
He came into a horrible situation and didn't affect much. His versatility should earn him a place on the final roster.
Sub: Patrick Agyemang - 6.5
Found the back of the net after being gifted a golden chance. To his credit, he made no mistake with his finish.
Sub: Ricardo Pepi - 6
Did well to provide the pressure that led to the Belgium giveaway on the late goal. That could help his chances in Pochettino's eyes as he likes his strikers to work hard defensively.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:USMNT vs. Belgium player ratings: Pochettino left with many questions after blowout loss
