Sports

Meet the young and expensive Team Belgium going against US

Belgium — the United States’ World Cup Round of 16 foe Tuesday — may not have the titles to match Brazil and Germany, Spain or Italy, but it clearly has the talent. And the game may well come down to whether “team” can trump “talent.”
The Belgians have arguably as exciting — and among the most expensive — a roster as there is in this World Cup. They have a litany of young stars scattered throughout Europe’s top leagues. The United States’ chances to advance may have less to do with how it plays, and whether Belgium can finally get those individuals to gel as a collective.
“Belgium is a great team, with great young players,’’ US coach Jurgen Klinsmann understated.
Belgium hasn’t made a World Cup quarterfinal since 1986, but this team is gifted enough to go further. Based on UK daily Metro’s compilation of the actual list of transfer values of every player at the World Cup, Belgium has the third-priciest roster, led by Chelsea winger Eden Hazard.
Not shockingly, favorite Brazil leads the way (£407 million/$696 million) and defending-champ Spain was second (£315.2 million/$539 million). But Belgium — seemingly every pundit, gambler and fan’s World Cup darkhorse — is third at £222.7 million ($380 million), ahead of Germany, France, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, and the unfancied US (26th at just £26 million/$44 million).

As of Sunday, the British pound was worth $1.70. But even if rates varied from the time of each transfer, the reality hasn’t varied: Belgium is dripping with potential, even if it hasn’t yet turned it into production.
“They’re a top team. Everyone around Europe will tell you how good they are,’’ US keeper Tim Howard said. “They’ve got so many good players, young, fast, good on the ball. I actually think because of that we match up well with them.”

Belgium basics

Don’t know much about the next US opponent? Here’s a quick primer:

THEY’LL COUNTER: Belgium will come out in a 4-2-3-1 and punish teams on the quick counterattack. As soon as it gets the ball, look for quick transition to wingers Dries Mertens on the right and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard on the left. Leave Hazard one-on-one and he’ll punish any defender, the key to their attack.

THEY’LL DEFEND: Belgium doesn’t concede goals. It allowed just one throughout the entire group stage, and even that was a penalty. And it has one of the world’s better young keepers in Thibaut Courtois.

THEY’RE AILING: Starting defenders Vincent Kompany (groin) and Thomas Vermaelen (hamstring) are both doubtful, defender Anthony Vanden Borre was ruled out Friday with a cracked fibula and backup Laurent Ciman is banged-up. Kompany missed the last game and Vermaelen could be a gametime decision. They may have to use Nacer Chadli at right back and Mousa Dembele on the left.

IT COULD BE DECIDED IN MIDFIELD: Belgium’s trio of Marouane Fellaini, Axel Witsel and Dembele are physical, with the former regularly crashing late into the box. With the US trio of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman having run more than any midfield in the World Cup, it could be a great matchup.

Howard should know Belgium’s roster better than most: He’s spent the last eight English Premier League seasons at Everton, with forward Romelu Lukaku and midfielders Kevin Mirallas and Marouane Fellaini having played alongside him. Lukaku was on loan from Chelsea last season while Fellaini had just moved on to Manchester United.
And the list of big clubs for whom Belgium’s players are starring is a Who’s Who of Champions League soccer, from Manchester City to Bayern Munich, Liverpool to Atletico Madrid.
At just 23, Hazard was runner-up for PFA Player of the Year (best EPL player); and Belgium has a host of gifted players. But they cruised through the group stage on pure talent — beating Algeria, Russia and South Korea in group play, but needing a game-winner in the 77th minute or later against each — and haven’t gelled as a team. The US is hoping it doesn’t happen Tuesday.
“Belgium, they are a top squad with a lot of quality players,’’ said US captain Clint Dempsey, who played at Tottenham in 2012-13 alongside Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele. (Nacer Chadli arrived as Dempsey departed.)
According to Transfermarkt — a site that estimates what players’ values would be on transfer market — Belgium’s roster was the sixth-highest in the World Cup, the US just 26th.
Jermaine Jones likened Belgium to the German team that just defeated the US, 1-0.
“It’s the same tough game like Germany. They have a lot of experienced players, good players from different good clubs,’’ Jones said. “It’s a knockout game, and we have to see it like a final.”