US face Belgium in Seattle with expectations rising

A different kind of Monday Night Football comes to Seattle when the US face Belgium for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals, with an American side carrying rising expectations into a meeting with one of Europe’s most experienced teams.

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The match at the Seattle Seahawks’ home stadium, one of the loudest venues in the NFL, is expected to provide a raucous backdrop for a US team whose tournament ambitions have grown with each performance.

Before the World Cup, many US supporters viewed a place in the last 16 as a reasonable target.

However, wins over Paraguay and Australia in the group stage, followed by a 2-0 victory over Bosnia despite playing the final 36 minutes with 10 men, have raised hopes that Mauricio Pochettino’s side can make a deeper run on home soil.

Belgium, by contrast, have yet to fully convince.

The European side needed a late escape against Senegal, trailing for the majority of the match before scoring twice to level and then advancing after a VAR-assisted penalty decision in extra time that left Senegal frustrated.