Belgium is far from being the powerful team that promised to achieve great things, but even so, today it is still an extremely competitive team, enough to thrash United States 5-2.
A defeat against the Belgian national team, while not entirely surprising, is surprising in terms of the scoreline, which highlights the lack of defensive solidity and, for Alexi Lalas, also the poor performance of the starting goalkeeper, Matt Turner
A game of two halves for the United States
The match left mixed feelings. During the first half, the team coached by Mauricio Pochettino showed moments of order and competitiveness. However, everything changed in the second half.
Belgium took advantage of the spaces and defensive mismatches to score four goals in the second half, sealing a resounding victory. The multiple changes made by the American coach, in search of alternatives, ended up blurring the team.
Alexi Lalas and his direct criticism of Matt Turner
Through his podcast, Lalas was clear in analyzing the performance of goalkeeper Matt Turner. Although he avoided blaming him completely for the defeat, he did make it clear that the result has consequences.
You’re going to be associated with conceding five goals, and unfortunately you don’t have the benefit of the doubt
For Lalas, these types of performances matter, especially in a context where the team does not yet have an undisputed goalkeeper.
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Beyond the criticism, Lalas also put on the table a possible alternative: Matt Freese. The analyst believes that he should be the starter in the next match, partly because of his recent continuity with the team.
According to his analysis, the competition in goal is still open, but not necessarily because of the high level, but because of the lack of a solid candidate who fully convinces.
The debate over the starting goalkeeper is not a recent one. Since the 2022 World Cup, Turner had managed to establish himself as the first choice, but his performance has been inconsistent in recent matches.
For Lalas, this reflects a deeper problem: the US national team continues to arrive at major tournaments with doubts in a key position.
The former player summed it up bluntly: “He didn’t do anything to get the job back or to change anyone’s mind.” A phrase that sums up the feelings of some fans and analysts.
Since Tim Howard‘s retirement, the USMNT has not had a clear goalkeeper. Teams are built from back to front, coaches often say, and just weeks before the start of the World Cup, the absence of a clear leader in goal for the co-hosts is worrying.
