Since first win over Belgium in 1930, it's all been uphill for U.S. squad
United States' Michael Bradley, left, and Clint Dempsey applaud after qualifying for the next World Cup round following their 1-0 loss to Germany during the group G World Cup soccer match between the USA and Germany at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, Thursday, June 26, 2014. Credit: AP / Ricardo Mazalan
The United States hasn't fared very well against Belgium, its next World Cup opponent.
The Americans enter their World Cup Round of 16 match Tuesday against the Belgians with a 1-4 record.
Their only win came in the second match of the very first World Cup in 1930.
Nicknamed "The Shot-Putters" by the French because of their players' size, the Americans recorded a 3-0 victory over Belgium in a Group 4 encounter at Estadio Parque Central before 18,346 spectators in Montevideo, Uruguay, on July 13, 1930. Bart McGhee (23rd minute), Tom Florie (45th minute) and Bert Patenaude (69th minute) found the back of the net.
Four days later, the Americans duplicated the result with a 3-0 triumph over Paraguay -- Patenaude recorded the World Cup's first hat trick -- before they got their heads handed to them by eventual runner-up Argentina in the semifinals, 6-1.
Their most recent encounter with Belgium did not start or end well -- a 4-2 defeat -- in Cleveland on May 29, 2013.
The Belgians broke open a 1-1 match by striking three times in a 15-minute span in the second half as Christian Benteke scored twice (56th and 71st minutes) and Marounane Fellaini scored once (64th minute). Geoff Cameron's first international goal in the 23rd minute had tied the score for the Americans, negating Kevin Mirallas' sixth-minute score as he beat Everton teammate and goalkeeper Tim Howard. Clint Dempsey made the score more respectable in the 79th minute.
Benteke, incidentally, is not participating in the World Cup after suffering an Achilles tendon injury during an Aston Villa (England) practice in April.
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