The USMNT welcomed Belgium to Seattle in one of the most controversial games of this year's World Cup, with news of Folarin Balogun's red card being overturned dominating the headlines leading all the way up to kick-off.

Whilst the US named an unchanged starting eleven, Rudi Garcia made the bold decision to drop both Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, two of the nation's most recognisable names, in favour of Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin.

It was a decision that puzzled Belgian fans, but saw an immediate payoff, as the Red Devils took the lead within 10 minutes thanks to a close-range Charles De Ketelaere finish. Raskin made an immediate impact, driving into the box and putting the ball into a dangerous area where De Ketelaere was ready to tap the ball in.

The Belgians were clearly the side with the bit between their teeth in the opening stages, putting constant pressure on Matt Freese and the Americans as a whole, leaving the Seattle crowd stunned by their opponents' rapid start.

The hydration break saw the hosts grow into the game and put a foothold on possession, but still lacking the dominance in the midfield which had brought them so much success in their previous matches.

The equaliser came for The States in the 31st minute, after a Malick Tilman free-kick took a huge deflection off of Hans Vanaken in the Belgian wall, wrong-footing Courtois and dragging his nation level. It was a goal against the run of play, and Belgium would've felt hard done by after a fantastic start.

However, just minutes later, the Red Devils took the lead once again thanks to De Ketelaere, after a sublime Leandro Trossard cross was placed on the head of the 25-year-old, who knocked the ball past Freese in an instant response from Belgium.

The USMNT couldn't win the battle in the middle of the park during the first half, and Garcia's decision to drop De Bruyne for Raskin seemed genius heading into the break, as the 25-year-old dominated play and was at the root of every positive Belgium attack.

The hosts seemed stun as the whistle to end the first period was blown, and Mauricio Pochettino was furious as he walked down the tunnel. The Argentine had a huge task on his hands during the interval to try and get his team back in the game and keep the USA's World Cup dreams alive.

Giovanni Reyna was introduced at the start of the second period, replacing Sergino Dest, as the US looked to bring more offensive firepower in search of an equaliser.

USMNT certainly had a greater attacking impetus during the opening stages of the second half, but failed to carve out clear-cut opportunities to test Courtois, and the Belgian backline remained relatively calm.

The Red Devils scored a third goal in the 57th minute thanks to a huge goalkeeping error from Matt Freese, who misjudged the flight of the ball way off his line, allowing Vanaken to coolly find the bottom corner from long range after Tim Ream failed to block the strike.

It gave the Belgians a two-goal cushion, and after already dominating play throughout the majority of the game, they seemed to have put one foot in a quarter-final match-up against Spain.

Pochettino tried a change of tactics during the hydration break, in a last ditch effort to save the USA's World Cup campaign, adopting a gung-ho style of play to try and overturn a 2-goal deficit in less than 20 minutes.

The hosts had some chances; Sebastian Berhalter unleashed a ferocious long-range attempt that whistled past the post, and Balogun had an effort saved by Courtois from close range. But this was the extent of what the US created, in a disappointing attempt at a comeback.

The Belgians sealed the deal in added time, after the nation's all-time top scorer, Romelu Lukaku, once again found the back of the net from the bench, whipping the ball past Freese after a powerful drive past a weak US backline.

It was a goal that capped off a hugely impressive performance from the Red Devils and a tactical masterclass from Rudi Garcia, who will face Spain on Friday, in what is set up to be a blockbuster clash.

After an impressive group stage performance, as well as comfortably beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, it was shocking to see such a lacklustre performance from the USA. They looked like a team devoid of ideas in what was one of the nation's most important games in recent history.

After such an impressive campaign leading up to this match, players like Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic and Balogun failed to make any impact on the game, and were completely outclassed by their Belgium opponents, who outfought the Stars and Stripes in every metric.

It was the hosts' first game against a nation with serious international pedigree, and the lack of experience showed as the game went on. Garcia's tactics perfectly nullified any threat the US tried to pose in the second half, and his players pounced upon the shaky American backline at every chance.

Pochettino will be hugely disappointed in his players' performances, as they seemed to lack any belief after conceding the early goal, but will have to take some credit for his failure to rally his players to push on in the second half, as the US exited the competition without putting up a fight.

The Stars and Stripes' 'golden generation' has failed to live up to expectations, and will now have to wait another four years to try and prove themselves on football's biggest stage.

The Red Devils will see the result as justice being served, after Balogun's return to the starting eleven did not affect the match, as the Belgian backline did brilliantly to completely shut the in-form striker out of the game for the full 90 minutes.

It is a performance that could raise a few eyebrows amongst football fans, as many had seen this year's Belgium side as past their best, and predicted Rudi Garcia's men to be beaten by the hosts in today's fixture.

They now advance into a quarter-final match-up against the European champions, as Spain managed to beat Portugal 1-0 in dramatic fashion. Before the tournament began, many would have seen La Roja as clear favourites in this tie, but after today's result, Belgium should certainly not be written off by anyone.

It was a tactical masterclass from Garcia, and his decision to drop two big names seriously paid off. It will be interesting to see any alterations the Frenchman makes to his side come kick-off this Friday at 3 pm EDT (8 pm BST).