ATLANTA — The U.S. men’s national team had been feeling awfully good about itself heading into this camp after five straight games without a loss, and a pair of dominant wins back in November.
What it didn’t have, though — and what it very emphatically still does not have after Saturday — was anything to prove it can compete with the high-level European opposition that makes up most of the world’s best soccer countries.
And as much progress as American players have made in getting to Europe and becoming high-impact players there, none is even remotely on the level of Jeremy Doku, who utterly dominated them Saturday.
The Manchester City winger helped set up Belgium’s first three in his country’s eventual 5-2 rout of the USMNT. He overran Tim Weah and Mark McKenzie all afternoon in a game that struck some promising notes for the Yanks in the first half before they fell apart early in the second.
What the game did not do was quell the idea that there is still a gap between them and the nations that will come into the World Cup without needing to be asked what would make it a success. And what it didn’t do was stop the worries about the U.S. backline, which continues to be a problem spot for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
McKenzie, who is trying to nail down a spot in the starting XI this summer, was easily beaten by Doku in the buildup to Belgium’s second goal. Alexis Saelemaekers put the ball on a plate for Amadou Onana after Doku had pulled the Americans all out of position.
Tim Ream, who is already likely penciled into a spot in the lineup, committed a handball on Thomas Meunier’s shot after Doku blew by Weah in the buildup. This gave Belgium a penalty that Charles De Ketelaere duly converted to make it 3-1 and put the game out of reach in the 59th minute.
Weah simply had no answer at all for Doku.
For good measure, after both teams had made a series of substitutions in a match that allowed up to 11, Dodi Lukebakio scored twice to put the game out of hand. Both goals came on plays where Max Arfsten and Sebastian Berhalter were made to look bad, with the latter prompting boos from U.S. fans as the score reached 5-1.
Playing a 4-2-3-1 base instead of a 3-4-3, with Ream and McKenzie as the center backs, the U.S. shifted to three at the back in possession, with either Johnny Cardoso or Tanner Tessmann dropping between the two central defenders.
That allowed Antonee Robinson, a revelation in his first national team cap in nearly 18 months, to push upfield as a left wingback, while Weah did the same on the right.
Robinson’s corner found the left foot of Weston McKennie for the opening U.S. goal after 39 minutes, with the latter beating Senne Lammens on the volley.
For McKennie, for Christian Pulisic, for Robinson — three players whose presence on the pitch told you that this was as serious a friendly as the United States has played in some time — this was a strong afternoon. Malik Tillman, too, was productive in a central attacking role.
Up front, Folarin Balogun had a quiet afternoon before Pochettino substituted en masse in the 70th minute. Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang both left a better impression off this one by combining for the second U.S. goal, with Pepi’s press setting up Agyemang to score.
Cardoso, who had a significant amount to prove, was the only player substituted at halftime, making it hard to feel he had made a decisive case before coming off for Cristian Roldan.
Matt Turner, a surprise starter in goal, did not help his case by letting in Zeno Debast’s shot from well outside the box as the clock wound toward halftime that tied the game 1-1 for Belgium. Doku helped set up that goal by beating Weah and getting to his right foot for a shot Turner parried aside before the rebound came to Debast.
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