ไทย
English
中國人
The USMNT's alarming 5–2 loss to Belgium in Atlanta, which opened its final round of international matches ahead of a home World Cup, was more than just a painful result to sit through.
Mauricio Pochettino's squad was overwhelmed in the second half by a resurgent Belgian side looking to finally shed the shadow of their 'golden generation' shortcomings and embrace a promising new era under manager Rudi Garcia.
Despite conceding the opening goal to a Weston McKennie strike, the Red Devils cruised to a comfortable victory. Zeno Debast, Charles De Ketelaere, and Amadou Onana all got on the scoresheet, while winger Dodi Lukébakio helped himself to a brace.
The USMNT's promising start evaporated after halftime, and Pochettino must be deeply concerned by the manner in which his side collapsed following Debast's equalizer.
Yet the hosts' dismal defensive performance wasn't the only storyline from Saturday's match, nor was Belgium's attacking flair. The visual spectacle was impossible to overlook, as players and supporters alike were forced to contend with a kit clash.
Lack of Alternative Jerseys Reason For USMNT, Belgium 'Kit Clash'
Teams are unveiling their brand-new kits for this summer's World Cup throughout the current international window.
In Atlanta, the USMNT wore their star-spangled banner-inspired strip, only to find themselves up against Belgium's abstract away design, which reportedly draws inspiration from surrealist painter René Magritte.
In a somewhat farcical turn of events, both sets of players and spectators were subjected to the avoidable clash because neither team had alternative jerseys on hand once the issue was identified at kickoff, according to The Athletic.
The report further notes that the U.S. explored the possibility of fetching their new away kits from the team hotel during the first half, but determined that doing so within the available time was not feasible.
'Awful'—How Players Reacted to Jersey Issue
The USMNT vs. Belgium game is gonna be tough to watch with both teams wearing white 😭 pic.twitter.com/65qyRNtBGl
Terrible kit clash from up here in the press box #USMNT pic.twitter.com/TA6XXTHpko
Although Belgium's multicolored jersey features predominantly light blue and pink tones, distinguishing it from the USMNT's red and white strip proved challenging, particularly from a distance.
USMNT standout Christian Pulisic described the jerseys as "difficult to deal with," but stopped short of citing it as a reason for his team's loss. "It was a bit strange. It was very difficult. I didn't know until we took off the prematch shirts and then saw it and everyone was a bit shocked," he recalled.
"A lot of times you get the ball, you look up like and you can't really like lock in on someone. You only can base it off the color of the shirt. That's how it works. And when it's very similar, it's not difficult."
Our kit was officially approved by fifa as the light kit. Whoever approved this matchup messed up fr. https://t.co/Ahezb3RWBD
Belgian goalscorer Onana was more direct in his assessment, simply calling the clash "awful."
For those in the stadium and watching at home, the USMNT's navy shorts served as the primary visual cue for telling the sides apart, even as Belgium's darker socks added further confusion to the mix.
The U.S. were understandably eager to debut their new home kit following its launch, and Saturday's combination had received FIFA approval well ahead of the match. However, given that Belgium's red home strip would likely have clashed with the red waves on the USMNT's shirt as well, the only real fix would have been for the hosts to opt for their deep blue alternate jersey instead.