Record-Breaking Audience for U.S. Match
The United States‘ recent World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium achieved a significant milestone in U.S. television history, becoming the most-watched soccer telecast on a single network. More than 33 million people tuned into the English-language broadcast on Fox to watch the game, according to Nielsen’s final audience totals. This figure surpasses previous records for soccer viewership in the United States.
The U.S.-Belgium game, which saw the United States eliminated from the tournament, peaked during its second half on Fox with over 41 million viewers. This strong performance in viewership follows other high-ranking matches during the tournament.
Prior to the U.S.-Belgium encounter, the round-of-32 game featuring the USMNT against Bosnia had drawn 26.395 million viewers on Fox. For a period, this match held the record for the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history. Group stage matches also contributed to record-breaking English-language audiences, including the U.S.-Paraguay game with 18.039 million viewers on Fox, and the U.S.-Turkey match, which drew 17.015 million viewers on Fox.
Pre-Match Controversy and Belgian Reaction
The match between the United States and Belgium was preceded by considerable drama, largely stemming from a controversial decision by FIFA. This decision allowed United States striker Folarin Balogun to participate in the game despite having received a red card in the previous match, which typically results in an automatic suspension.
FIFA announced on Sunday afternoon that Balogun would be eligible to play, suspending his punishment. This move was described as unprecedented and sparked widespread outrage. The controversy intensified when United States President Donald Trump confirmed that he had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the foul and Balogun‘s punishment.
Belgium expressed strong dissent regarding the decision. Their manager, Rudi Garcia, likened the decision to April Fools’ Day during his pre-match press conference, stating, “I didn’t know that July 5 was equal to April 1 at FIFA.” He also noted that it was the first time such a decision had been made in World Cup history. Belgium had even warned the United States that if Balogun was in the lineup, it would leave “all further actions open.”
Belgium’s Dominant Performance and Post-Match Comments
In the match itself, Belgium secured a 4-1 victory over the United States, eliminating the Americans from the tournament. Following the win, Belgium‘s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, addressed both the victory and the pre-match drama, indicating that the team felt “disrespected.”
Courtois stated, “In recent days, we have been disrespected here in the United States. It was being said that they could beat us easily, but I think today we showed that we are a good team. We played a great match.” He also mentioned that he felt Senegal, whom Belgium defeated in the round of 32, had a “better team” than the Americans.
The goalkeeper explained Belgium‘s aggressive strategy, noting, “We wanted to pin the United States back from the start and tried to create chances. Then they started to doubt themselves. Perhaps the 2-5 defeat against us in the friendly was affecting them.” Courtois also found the news about Folarin Balogun‘s red card amusing, understanding the desire to generate excitement around the United States team but having more confidence in Belgium‘s victory against the United States than against Senegal.
The Belgium team also publicly mocked Donald Trump in the closing moments of the game and continued to do so in their locker room. This action underscored their feelings regarding Trump‘s involvement in the decision to overturn Balogun‘s red card suspension. The World Cup continues with three quarterfinal matches scheduled across Friday and Saturday, followed by semifinals next week and the final on July 19.
Source: nytimes.com