ATLANTA — A reality check can come in many forms, but it’s about how you respond to it. Ahead of the 2024 Copa America, it was the 5-1 loss to Colombia, which ended in heartbreak, paving the way for a group stage exit. The story is still being written on what will happen following Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Belgium, but after a five-match unbeaten run to close 2025, it’s clear that work still needs to be done.

From the depth of the USMNT to the form of one of their most important players, Christian Pulisic, opportunities for improvement are around this team as manager Mauricio Pochettino calls for them to keep their intensity for 90 minutes in order to defeat teams like Belgium. Struggling for Milan, Pulisic hasn’t scored since Dec. 28 for club or country, and the lack of output is weighing on him.

Frustration could be seen on Pulisic’s face as he skied a shot into the stands in the 51st minute of play, and from there, things devolved for the USMNT with Amadou Onana scoring for Belgium while the Red Devils laid on five unanswered goals.

“It’s frustrating for me. It’s been a tough patch, but I feel confident in the way that I’m playing and creating chances, so I just have to stay positive and keep going,” Pulisic said. “But yeah, I have to be more clinical for sure in those moments because you miss that and then they go and they score and it changes the game. It’s frustrating for me for sure, and I’m going to work to improve.”

This is why you play these matches, as the USMNT were able to face a stern test competing against a top 10 FIFA side, as World Cup preparation continues. Without Chris Richards and Tyler Adams, that was always going to be a tall task, but with how their tactics developed under Pochettino during that unbeaten streak to close out 2025, there was hope that this match would be better.

Belgium manager Rudi Garcia acknowledged that the USMNT were better than the score showed and noted that the Red Devils struggled with the USMNT’s aggression early in the match before adjusting to find their footing. It shows that despite the result, it wasn’t all bad, which Pochettino backed, but with another tough friendly on Tuesday, facing Portugal, there are chances for the USMNT to show improvement.

Pochettino has stressed that the USMNT don’t need to play their best soccer until the World Cup, when the lights are at their brightest, and he’s still not concerned about this result.

“It’s a game where at 5-2, it’s difficult to accept, it’s painful at the same time, I think we can take so many positive things. The first half was really good, I think that we played as well or better than Belgium,” Pochettino said. “I think that we created chances to finish the first 45 minutes in a positive way, but we conceded in the last section of the first half.

“It’s true that after the second half, it was really difficult for us because in 20 minutes, we conceded three goals, including a penalty that I think maybe wasn’t a penalty,” he continued. “That was the moment when I think the game was too difficult, but too many positive things because I think if you see the first half, that’s the way that we wanted to play, but to keep this level for 90 minutes, that is the challenge for us.”

Looking at the numbers, he’s not wrong. The score was level 1-1 with Belgium having a slight advantage in possession with the ball for 58% of the time, while xG was close as the United States edged it 0.87 to 0.71, and then it all unraveled. When coming into a match against a side like Belgium, which possess more talent, it’s critical to be able to outwork the opposition, but if the USMNT struggled to press and attack the Red Devils for more than 45 minutes straight, it doesn’t bode well for facing Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto, Goncalo Ramos and Portugal.

Richards may be available for the match, which would offer a boost to the USMNT’s fortunes, but if he isn’t, it’s hard to see the squad doing much better unless they can get ahead by a few goals early in that period of intensity.

“It felt like we were fishing [in the first half], we were getting in behind, and we created a lot of opportunities, but you know, in football, when you don’t put those opportunities away, the other team has their opportunities, and they put them away, the game can change,” Tim Weah said.

Creating the opportunities is a tough job, especially against a team like Belgium, and that’s where there are good things to take, especially with Weston McKennie shining in midfield, as was Johnny Cardoso’s performance, but even he was only fit enough for 45 minutes of play. If this were a World Cup match, more chances may have been taken with players, but there’s no need to do that here. Pochettino stresses keeping good club relationships and trusting the physiotherapy staff, which, in a friendly, can lead to chopping and changing like this. 

There are chances to right that ahead of facing Portugal, but without a fast start, it could get worse before it gets better. Ahead of the World Cup, they’ll have time to train and work on fitness as a squad and iron out these issues, but that won’t change between Saturday and Tuesday.