USMNT vs. Belgium 2026: Why the 4-2-3-1 Hybrid Failed Pochettino How Jérémy Doku’s gravity and Belgium’s second-half adjustments exposed the flaws in the USMNT’s new tactical experiment.

USMNT (2) - Belgium (5)

What happened? USMNT took the lead but the signs were there that they could be in trouble. Was Pochettino's 4 man back line that issue? #USMNT #WorldCup

Full tactical breakdown: open.substack.com/pub/foxinthe...

Join Bill Nye in Taking Urgent Action for Science Bill Nye—Science Guy—here. I’m writing on behalf of Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) with an urgent request for you to take action to help keep science in policymaking in your state. It’s only bee...

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: sign.moveon.org/petitions/jo...

The Pochettino Box vs. Belgium’s "Hinges": 3 Battles That Will Decide USMNT vs. Belgium With a backline injuries and no Tyler Adams, can the USMNT’s 3-4-2-1 survive the Belgium's dangerous transition attack?

Can Pochettino’s "Central Box" stop Belgium’s "Personality Hinges"?

With Richards & Robinson out, the #USMNT faces a massive defensive test against De Bruyne & Doku in Atlanta. #USMNT #WorldCup

Deep dive into the 3 tactical battlegrounds deciding today's match:
open.substack.com/pub/foxinthe...

The Seattle Sounders FC have traded Georgi Minoungou to the Colorado Rapids Sounders trade another talented you player for dollars.

Sounders trade another talented you player for dollars.

Yesterday, 40-year-old Edin Džeko forced a 1-1 tie for Bosnia against Wales with an 86' goal. Bosnia won the shootout 4-2 and faces Italy this Tuesday for a World Cup spot!
#WorldCup

Photo: (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

What?!?!?!

I feel like he was so close to developing to star winger for us. Did he push for the move himself, or was this decision push forward from the club?

As i previously reported, two Sounders games are getting moved:
- RSL game originally scheduled for April 12 is now Sept 23
- Sporting KC game originally on Sept 9 is now Oct 1.

Yes, both games are now during an international break.

Seattle Sounders striker Danny Musovski got his 1st cap & played 13 minutes for North Macedonia in their 4-0 loss to Denmark in UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs

Antoine Griezmann to Orlando City is a Blockbuster Move for MLS in 2026 From his Real Sociedad roots to Atlético legend status, explore the stats, tactics, and free transfer details behind Griezmann's landmark move to Orlando.

Antoine Griezmann to Orlando City is a blockbuster move!

From his Real Sociedad roots to his legend status at Atleti, I’m breaking down the stats, tactics, and the free transfer details behind this landmark deal. #MLS #OCSC

Read the full deep dive here:
foxintheboxfc.substack.com/p/antoine-gr...

🧤 Seattle Sounders Goalkeeper Andrew Thomas explains why he was caught out on a shot from Minnesota United.

Thomas said it was a good learning moment without conceding a goal thanks to a goal line clearance from Antino Lopez.

OFFICIAL: Orlando City SC have signed forward Antoine Griezmann (35) on a free transfer from Atlético de Madrid on a contract until December 2028. The Frenchman will join the club in July.

#OrlandoCity #MLS #Transfers

Charlotte FC (6) - Red Bull New York (1)

Charlotte was leading the match 1-0 at halftime

Charlotte has a new franchise record for goals scored in a match

Ashley Westwood, recorded three assists in the match

In the 53rd minute, Red Bull New York’s Gustav Berggren received a straight red card.

Well deserved. He did not put a foot wrong in this match!

Locked down the left side 🔒

Nouhou has been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday Bench!

📰: sndrs.com/5ir4x8gy

NYCFC (2) - Inter Miami (3)

Inter Miami bounces back after being eliminated mid-week from the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament by Nashville.

Lionel Messi scores his 901st career goal

This was NYCFC’s first loss of the season

Inter Miami moves into a tie for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference

Malik Tillman had a great match over the weekend for Leverkusen! He had 2 shots on target with 1 goal. Also, he was all over the pitch covering ground. Click on the link before for more details! #USMNT #Bundesliga #Bayer04

foxintheboxfc.substack.com/p/usmnt-play...

Notable stat from Sounders’ road trip so far: they’ve gotten seven points from four fixtures in which they had just one last year.

MINNESOTA UNITED FC v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to visit the team that stopped our MLS Cup run in i...

It’s time for the West Sound of Mind Sounders FC Pre-Match Report for Minnesota v. Sounders. Enjoy the read. Share it on to your mates. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

westsoundofmind.blogspot.com/2026/03/minn...

https://open.substack.com/pub/foxintheboxfc/p/is-haji-wrights-world-cup-dream-over?r=gs9wv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

16 goals, 2nd in the Golden Boot race, and top of the table but Haji Wright is OUT of the #USMNT roster. 🇺🇸⚽️

With Pochettino treating the March friendlies as the "start of the World Cup," is Wright’s injury going to cost him the World Cup? #WorldCup #USMNT

open.substack.com/pub/foxinthe...

Peter Kingston had himself a game last night as the Seattle Sounders beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 and move on to the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament!

Kingston had himself a brace in assists last night! I think it has earned himself a first team contract! #31DaySprint

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP - ROUND OF 16 - 2ND LEG - ONE SPOKANE STADIUM, GARDNER AVENUE, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC head to Gardner Avenue in Spokane for their home match that isn’t a home match. Y...

It’s time for the West Sound of Mind Sounders FC Pre-Match Report.

westsoundofmind.blogspot.com/2026/03/seat...

Thank you for that clarification. That makes sense!

Cristian Roldan is set to join the March USMNT camp. He will likely participate as a starting player for one of them.
The games are set for March 28th in Atlanta against Belgium and March 31st against Portugal.
This is the biggest opportunity for Mauricio Pochettino to learn about his squad!

#USOC2026 R1: Due to SNOW (!) the Pittsburgh Riverhounds-Steel City FC match has been postponed to next Wednesday, March 25.

Coincidentally, a US Open Cup match between two Pittsburgh area teams was also postponed due to snow in 1956 as shown below.

Inbox: USMNT roster is out for the March window. No Rapids players, not surprising. At this point, there need to be a bunch of injuries for Zack Steffen to make the World Cup. He’s not high enough on Poch’s radar.

Did CRKSVJongColombia get an exemption to play in this tournament? Since that team was in Colombia, wouldn't they be in the CONMEBOL federation.

#OnThisDay in 1968 – Goals by Wilfredo Constancia & Juan Obispo gave #CRKSVJongColombia a 2:1 win over #AlianzaFC in 1st leg of delayed ’67 Concacaf Champions Cup Final at El Salvador’s Estadio Flor Blanca. Mario Flores tallied for the hosts.

The Oklahoma Engine in Split Meet the 21-year-old Oklahoma native taking the Croatian league by storm and why he's the future of the USMNT midfield.

From Stillwater to Split: How 21-year-old Rokas Pukštas became a star in Croatia.

Here is a breakdown of his journey from Sporting KC to Hajduk Split, his recruitment by Ivan Rakitić, and his USMNT future.

Read the full scouting report: open.substack.com/pub/foxinthe...

#USMNT #HajdukSplit

Six-Point Sunday 🤩

Postgame Pontifications: More than numbers If you’ve been reading this column for any amount of time, you surely know that I like to use stats to help tell stories. I also believe they have a utility to help us better understand the game and can challenge what our eyes may otherwise have us believe. I’ve often used statistics to explain how the Seattle Sounders have played better than the scoreline suggested or used them to illustrate just how bad a performance may have been. There are also times when statistics fail to tell us the complete story. The game, as they say, is not played on a spreadsheet. The Sounders’ 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday was one of those times, and might just be the grittiest win they’ve ever claimed. Based solely on the numbers, the Sounders were badly outplayed. Depending on what statistical model is being used, the Earthquakes generated 4-6x more xG than the Sounders, out-shot them 25-6 and had a 17-0 corners advantage. The Sounders had just 37% possession and lost field-tilt — which is weighted toward final-third entries — 84-16. The Sounders’ -1.71 Expected Goal-Difference and .41 Expected Points were their worst in a win since 2017, according to American Soccer Analysis. While it’s true that the Sounders were definitely “under it” for at least most of the second half, looking only at the data misses some quality play. “That was a great win,” Sounders goal-scorer Paul Rothrock said. “Our defense had a monster game tonight.” That might actually be an understatement, especially considering how deep the Sounders needed to go into their bench for this game. Using a lineup that featured eight changes from their midweek win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Concacaf Champions Cup play and just four starters from their season opener, the Sounders started reasonably strong. Cody Baker got the game’s first decent look, only for his shot from the top of the box to flash wide. Rothrock was able to put the Sounders ahead in the 20th minute when Jesús Ferreira played him in with a perfect through ball, allowing him to race ahead of the defense and beat Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel with a shot inside the near post. Rothrock probably could have had another goal about five minutes later when Nikola Petković played him in for another chance, but he seemed to misread the ball’s bounce and the opportunity fizzled out. That sequence seemed to shock the Earthquakes awake. Although the Sounders ended up with a couple more decent looks — and even appeared to have an insurance goal before VAR disallowed Cody Baker’s 86th minute strike — the Earthquakes outshot the Sounders 22-3 and generated all but .10 of their 2.35 xG over the final 65 minutes. Andrew Thomas was forced to make seven saves, five of which came from shots inside the penalty area. That doesn’t even account for arguably the biggest defensive play of the match. Off a turnover by Albert Rusnák, the Earthquakes sprung Preston Judd on a ball over the top that left Jackson Ragen and Tino Lopez chasing him. Ragen caught up enough to give Judd a light tug just before he shot. Although Thomas got a hand to it, the ball still seemed bound for the back of the net until Lopez made an acrobatic left-footed clearance while running at full speed toward the goal. “I saw the ball going in and I knew I had to do everything I possibly can to help the team and prove I can play with them,” Lopez said. For more reasons than just that play, Lopez proved that with his overall performance. Now in his third season with the organization since signing with Tacoma Defiance, Lopez was making his first MLS start while on a short-term loan. Along with midfielder Peter Kingston, Lopez was one of two players on short-term loans to start this game. Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said Lopez was now being offered a first-team contract and that he’d be pushing for Kingston to get the same. “I don’t think people realize how hard it is to stay patient in the second-team system,” said Rothrock, who took a similar path to the first team. “It beats you down and this guy has been doing it for three years. I can’t say enough good things about him. I’m so proud.” Lopez and Kingston are just the latest in what is now a rich pipeline from Defiance to Sounders. They were among eight Sounders starters in this game who effectively came through the Defiance. If Lopez and Kingston both end up joining the first-team permanently, the roster will have 13 of 28 players who first signed with Defiance. No, this wasn’t necessarily the prettiest Sounders performance ever. But they’ve now won three straight across all competitions — all of them on the road and within the span of eight days — despite injuries up and down the roster. That tells a story that statistics can never fully tell. “The team’s in a good way,” Schmetzer said. “They’re gassed, they’re tired, but that’s a happy crew.”

The Sounders earned one of their grittiest wins ever.