Belgium beats U.S. again, amid Trump-FIFA red card controversy

Belgium’s latest win over the United States landed amid a storm over President Donald Trump’s phone call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but the bigger story was still on the field: Belgium looked sharper, deeper and more composed when the game demanded discipline. FIFA later reversed the red-card suspension against U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after Trump asked for a review, then Belgium’s federation challenged that reversal, leaving the controversy to swirl around a matchup the Belgians handled with familiar ease.

The flashpoint added another layer to a rivalry that has repeatedly exposed the gap between the programs when elite margins get tight. On July 1, 2014, Belgium beat the United States 2-1 in extra time in Salvador, Brazil, to eliminate Jurgen Klinsmann’s team from the World Cup round of 16. Tim Howard turned in a historic performance that day, making a World Cup-record 16 saves, while Belgium found the breakthrough through Kevin De Bruyne in the 93rd minute and Romelu Lukaku in the 105th. Julian Green briefly pulled the United States back into the match with a goal in the 107th minute, but Belgium held on.

That 2014 game became a defining reference point for both sides. Klinsmann praised his players afterward, saying they gave everything and made their country proud. FIFA later framed the match as an epic showdown, highlighted by Howard’s record-setting night and the attacking quality of De Bruyne and Lukaku. For U.S. soccer, it remains a reminder that heroic individual efforts can keep elite opponents close, but not always close enough.

The 2026 episode followed a similar pattern of outside noise threatening to overshadow the soccer itself. Trump defended his intervention as an effort to correct what he called a “horrible” officiating decision, but the federation dispute only sharpened attention on the same question Belgium has posed before: whether the U.S. men can stay organized and effective when an opponent tests them over 90 minutes and beyond. Belgium answered that question again, while the Americans were left to reckon with the difference between controversy and competitiveness.