To get ready for Tuesday's United States Men's National Team round of 16 match against Belgium, I spoke with journalist Zack Goldman, who has been covering the tournament. The match will kick off at 3 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN, WatchESPN, Univision, and a Watch Party at the Power & Light District.
Jonathon Feyerherm: Who are the key players for Belgium?
Zach Goldman: The Belgians aren't hurting for individual talent, but have found it difficult to incorporate their diverse strengths into a cohesive whole the past two weeks.
Eden Hazard is the toast of this team. A wizard with the ball at his feet, he poses a triple threat to defenses. Hazard's silky, incisive dribbling puts opponents on their back foot and opens up lanes for teammates to run into. His passing is accurate, incisive, and imaginative. If let free in the area, he's deadly. Hazard is a tremendously talented and versatile player who has all the makings of a star, but he has struggled to find consistency and composure in big games when things aren't going his way.
Vincent Kompany is Belgium's rock at the back. A two-time Premier League-winning captain with Manchester City, Kompany is physically dominant and positionally astute. His tackling can be both his biggest strength and weakness as he has impeccable timing when making challenges, but oftentimes ventures into ones in which he is disadvantageously situated. Occasionally, thanks to his physical dominance, he can pull those off—but it can also lead to costly fouls or missing the play entirely.
Up top, 19-year-old Divock Origi is lively and efficient and could be a surprise danger-man, whether he starts or, more likely, is brought in off the bench.
JF: Heading into this World Cup, Belgium were viewed by many as a talented team with potential to make a deep run in the tournament but struggled some in the Group Stage. What's gone right and wrong for this side so far in this World Cup?
ZG: What's gone right is they've found a way to grind out results, picking up all nine points available to them. There's merit to that in a World Cup even when teams aren't at their most dominant or attractive. While their defense is the least-discussed aspect of their team, they've been phenomenal—and they boast an excellent goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, who has hardly been troubled.
What hasn't gone right is that their long-trumpeted attacking prowess has failed to materialize, at least in the form of chances and goals. They've had a strong measure of possession, but failed to make much of it count against sides that could hardly be called footballing powers. Belgium have complained that Algeria, Russia, and Korea have merely sat deep and absorbed pressure, but that's hardly the true source of the problem. The root lies with their own inventiveness.
JF: How do you see both teams attack matching up against the other's defense?
ZG: The Belgians are dynamic and quick in the attack and while it's a bit much to say they've been clinical in front of goal, they have shown a ruthlessness from inside the penalty spot. Winger Dries Mertens is in many ways a nice match for the pace of DaMarcus Beasley, but his darting runs and ability to find his way behind defenders will test the veteran and the American rearguard in general. Hazard is obviously the biggest danger, but US right-back Fabian Johnson has adequately handled similarly tall tasks in Ronaldo and Podolski already this tournament.
Much for the United States depends upon the availability of Jozy Altidore. If he's fit, he'll be a wonderful tool to occupy Belgium's center-backs, Kompany and 36-year-old Daniel van Buyten. When the Belgian defense is stretched and outmuscled, it gets nervous, as seen in the silly penalty given away in the first match against Algeria. That's where Clint Dempsey can shine.
Outside of the strikers, Michael Bradley needs to show up in a big way for the Yanks. Belgium's central midfield sits rather high in possession and Bradley's ability to get behind them on the counter and force the back-line to make decisions could be huge for the States.
JF: What are you looking forward to seeing and expecting to see from Tuesday's match?
ZG: I think the United States will be largely reactive in this match, using a dedicated counter-attacking approach to find pockets of space in transition. This is a case of keeping your defense compact and organized and picking your spots wisely. Sure, Klinsmann will press high at times and aim to keep possession as much as possible, but the Yanks will be looking to use Belgium's high-powered attack against them by catching them “numbers-down” once they lose the ball.
On a more general note, I'm interested to see the three-man midfield battle between Belgium and the US. While the Yanks have stayed with Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, and Michael Bradley for 270 minutes, Belgium have continually rotated the center of their team. If I had to guess, we will see Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini, and Kevin De Bruyne, though that trio struggled mightily against Russia. Either way, it will be interesting to see if continuity or experimentation carry the day.
JF: What are your thoughts on the play of Matt Besler and Graham Zusi in this World Cup and how they could factor into Tuesday's match?
ZG: Matt Besler has been superb in this World Cup. Perhaps his best outing actually came in limited duty — his 45 minutes against Ghana. His ability to organize the back-line, close down interior passing lanes, and win aerial duels in the box set the tone for a dogged, impressive defensive performance.
Graham Zusi can also be extremely proud of his work in Brazil. His corner kick that found John Brooks for his goal against Ghana will go down as one of the most important set pieces in US Soccer history. He then set up Clint Dempsey for his go-ahead tally against Portugal. While he didn't record an assist against Germany, he worked tirelessly in the midfield and tracked back responsibly for the team. Overall, it's been a great tournament for him.
JF: What will be the keys to this match if the USA are to advance?
ZG: 1) Limit close-range looks on goal. Belgium is deadly once they have worked the ball into the area, but are fairly anemic far from the target.
2) Limit set-piece opportunities and impose aerial dominance at every ask.
3) Look to spring the counter at full speed when it's on.
