'A fair condition for us' - Folarin Balogun is back, Christian Pulisic is due and Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT have a point to prove: Five keys vs Belgium

The news rocked the sports world immediately. Balogun will, in fact, be available to face Belgium. It's a game-changing decision, one that dramatically alters how this game can and probably will be played.

Balogun is a very different player than those who were set to replace him. This summer, he's proven to be confident, quick, and decisive in front of goal. He's also a handful for defenses both as an attacking player and as the initiator of the USMNT's press.

"Balo is always available," Pulisic said. "I feel like, when I have the ball, when others have the ball, he's making runs. He's so strong, he's quick, and he does a lot of good things."

That’s the tactical side. There’s also the mental one. The USMNT will be riding an emotional high with Balogun back, and the Seattle crowd will surely erupt when his name is announced. Belgium, meanwhile, have had their pregame plans upended by the late decision. How do they process that tactically and emotionally? As an injustice, as FIFA conspiring against them, or simply as another player to stop?

Leading up to the game, Balogun's absence was the big story. Now, the story is his presence and what it means for the USMNT after a week that saw everyone involved accept that it wouldn't be the case.

"If you behave well, maybe you will be rewarded," Pochettino said. "I think it's fantastic to have that mindset. I am so happy that he acted this way and that he took that decision because sometimes when you are upset after the game, and you feel in some point knowing that was unfair, you have a small percentage of you feeling guilty about this type of situation.

"I think he did very well and managed. I'm so happy about that."

When he has been on the field, Christian Pulisic has generally been pretty good. He assisted a goal against Paraguay before exiting due to injury. He looked strong in his return against Turkiye and then could have had a goal or two against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even pre-tournament, Pulisic was lively, scoring one and assisting another against Senegal.

And yet, no World Cup goal yet. If there was a time for one, it's now, as big games call for a team's big stars to step into the spotlight.

To be fair, Pulisic isn't the USMNT's only star. One of the big takeaways from this summer is that Pulisic does not have to be "the guy". He can play his part and rely on those around him to do the same. There is no need to force or panic because the USMNT is talented enough not to put too much weight on one player's shoulders.

That said, Pulisic is a fantastic player, one who is due for a World Cup moment. He had his big one spoiled in 2022 as his goal against Iran was accompanied by an injury that knocked him out for the rest of the game.

"Sometimes, things work out that way," he told GOAL in 2024. "I wouldn't have changed it for the world. So the way it happens, that's how it happened. Unfortunately, I just had to celebrate that one lying in the goal.

"I hope to have many big moments. It's not like I feel like 'Oh, I need that one moment, that iconic celebration'. That's not how I think. I want to go in, and I want to win these tournaments. At the end of the day, people will talk about that, and that's what they'll remember."

Pulisic will hope Monday can be a day to remember and, if he can be the one to make it so, it would be quite a moment for a player who has been building towards this for his whole career.

So far at this World Cup, the USMNT have had a lot of success out wide. Yet, when you look at the Belgium squad, you do see a challenge in those wide areas that should give this USMNT pause: Jeremy Doku.

He is one of the most dangerous and tricky wingers on the planet today. He routinely caused havoc against the USMNT in March, although that match saw him battling against Tim Weah, who is not a wingback more known for his defensive chops. Able to play off either the right or the left, Doku is dangerous, so what will the USMNT do to contain him?

The answer is, at least partly, attack. The USMNT's wide players are worth accounting for, too, and one way to win that wide battle is to make Belgium more uncomfortable than they make the USMNT.

"I expect it to be a game throughout the middle, but also throughout the sides," Sergino Dest said. "We play as a team, so we help defending with our full backs. We will make it really difficult for their wingers to go behind our defense, and as well, for us, let's see how much space they give us to do our things.

"It's difficult to say, but I hope it will be a great match from both sides."

The winner of that battle out wide will take a huge step towards winning the game.

"[They're] definitely world-class," Chris Richards said when asked about Doku and Kevin De Bruyne. "They bring a lot of challenges, and that's one of those games we have to be turned on for 90-plus. They're one of the top sides in Europe, and so mistakes are magnified. It's just making sure that we play a clean game for 90-plus."

Dest was asked what he remembers about the 2014 World Cup clash between the USMNT and Belgium. Not much, he says. It was half his life ago, it's swiftly pointed out. That's old history.

"That's a game that happened so many years ago," Dest said, "and at this moment I think the revenge can better be against them from March than 2014."

A look at the March game, then. In that game, the USMNT took a 1-0 lead via McKennie before Belgium equalized on a long-distance shot just before halftime. Then the wheels fell off, resulting in a 5-2 USMNT defeat. That defeat requires context, though. The USMNT had three members of its starting defense in midfield in that game. Three players who played significant minutes didn't make the USMNT's World Cup roster.

Much has changed since that game. For Pochettino, he believes enough has for the USMNT to go out and win the biggest game in this team's history.

"My view about Belgium is full respect," he said. "They have unbelievable players with experience. I think it's an unbelievable team and one of the contenders of this World Cup. I was thinking that in March and thinking that before they started the World Cup and still thinking about that.

"It's going to be an amazing challenge tomorrow for us to face one of the greatest teams in the world. I think our focus is to try and improve from March. I think we have improved."

Nearly all of Pochettino's pregame press conference was centered around FIFA's decision. Little of it was focused on the moment the USMNT is now staring down. That doesn't make the moment less real, and that doesn't make it come with any less pressure.

The reality is that this will be a big occasion. It will be even bigger considering the game is in Seattle, a city that has proven its American soccer's loudest home. The crowd will be passionate and there will be no shortage of pageantry for a Round of 16 game that could elevate the sport into a new stratosphere stateside.

The Balogun discussion may distract from that fact a bit and it may be cause for celebration pregame. The game, though, will be gruelling, and it will be a decisive moment in this team's legacy.

"If we have the possibility to lift the trophy, we are not going to remember when we leave the trophy," Pochettino said. "We are going to remember, always in our heart, the journey that we are living together, that memory. That is why legacy is not depending on one result, tomorrow win or not to win."

The journey continues, then, and this is the biggest step in it. It will require every bit of the USMNT's heart, fight, and talent. It will also require calm heads, game navigation, and maybe a moment or two of luck or quality. It is, without a doubt, a big moment for both the USMNT and Belgium, too. Managing that moment and all that comes with it will be crucial to each team's quest to earn more chances to write a legacy this summer.