World Cup Round of 16 Highlights: USMNT vs Belgium, Portugal Faces Spain
On Monday, July 6 at 3 p.m. ET in Dallas, Portugal will take on Spain in a match broadcast on Fox. The odds favor Spain (-230) over Portugal (+184) to move forward. These two teams have met 41 times before, but only twice in the World Cup. Their most recent high-stakes meeting was last summer in the UEFA Nations League Finals, where Portugal edged out Spain on penalties.
Spain entered the knockout stage with a solid 3-0 win against Austria, while Portugal staged a thrilling comeback to beat Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 32. The winner of this clash will face either the United States or Belgium in the quarterfinals set for Friday in Los Angeles.
USMNT Prepares for Belgium Challenge
Later Monday at 8 p.m. ET in Seattle, also on Fox, the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) will face Belgium. Both teams share even odds at -110. This is not the same USMNT that fell 5-2 to Belgium in a friendly earlier this year; Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has shown growth by reaching the Round of 16 and aims to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
An unexpected boost came when FIFA lifted striker Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension following a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, making him available for this critical game. Balogun leads the U.S. in scoring this tournament.
Belgium barely escaped elimination with a late rally to defeat Senegal in their Round of 32 match. Their World Cup performances vary widely: group-stage exit, third place, and quarterfinals in the last three editions.
