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Jeff Carlisle
Multiple Authors
ATLANTA — Christian Pulisic and several teammates expressed that the similar jersey colors worn by Belgium and the United States during Saturday’s friendly complicated their ability to identify teammates, but they insisted it didn’t contribute to the U.S.’s 5-2 loss.
“It’s not an excuse at all because both teams experienced it, but it was definitely a bit odd,” Pulisic remarked. “That shouldn’t happen.”
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Pulisic elaborated, “It’s tough. Often, when you get the ball and look up, it’s hard to focus. You find yourself relying solely on the shirt color. When they’re so similar, it definitely creates confusion.”
Pulisic acknowledged he wasn’t aware there would be an issue until the warmup jerseys were removed. “Everyone was quite surprised,” he shared.
The U.S. team debuted their World Cup jerseys, featuring red and white horizontal stripes paired with blue shorts. Belgium’s uniforms were predominantly white, accented with pink and light blue, complemented by white shorts.
A spokesperson for U.S. Soccer informed ESPN that a comprehensive process was in place to avoid any jersey color conflict before the match. This involved the U.S. choosing their jerseys and requesting Belgium to wear uniforms that wouldn’t clash. Photographs of both jersey designs were sent to the match referees, and a coordination meeting was held to assess them. The jerseys were checked once more by the referees on game day, without any indication of a conflict at any point.
However, U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie shared similar feelings as Pulisic. “I wouldn’t blame that for our performance, but it definitely made things a bit challenging,” he said. “When you glance quickly to tell which team is which, it was almost a fifty-fifty situation. It forced you to take a moment longer on the ball before making decisions or executing a play on target.”
Belgium sealed victory, interrupting the U.S.’s five-game unbeaten streak. After a first half that ended in a 1-1 tie, Belgium surged with four goals in the second half, with substitute Dodi Lukebakio scoring twice.
The U.S. will next compete in Atlanta against Portugal on Tuesday, marking the final match for head coach Mauricio Pochettino to evaluate his players ahead of naming the World Cup roster at the end of May.
Co-hosting the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, the U.S. will kick off its World Cup journey against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California.