The U.S. soccer team lost for the third straight time Wednesday since posting one of the biggest wins in U.S. soccer history.
Nico Vankerckhoven scored two goals to give Belgium a 2-0 win in a pre-World Cup exhibition match.Since beating Brazil 1-0 in the Gold Cup on Feb. 10, the U.S. team has lost to Mexico, the Netherlands and Belgium, not scoring a goal in any of the three games.
The losses to Belgium and the Netherlands, by identical 2-0 scores, are particularly troubling for the U.S. team, which will play European powers Germany and Yugoslavia in the World Cup in June.
Watched by 16,000 in the King Baudouin Stadium here, the game came alive in the 23rd minute when Vankerckhoven broke loose on Belgium's left flank, chased the ball hard into the goal mouth and tipped it through the legs of U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
The U.S. team responded later in the half, but Alexi Lalas and Eric Wynalda could not finish off scoring opportunities.
The Belgians took control in the second half when Vankerckhoven scored his second goal in the 54th minute. Vankerckhoven scored off the inside of the post on a rebound after Luc Nilis' free kick left Keller out of position.
The Americans best chance at scoring in the second half came in the 79th minute when Brian McBride caught a high pass on the chest in the goal mouth yet could not get it past goalie Filip de Wilde.
The loss to Belgium leaves the Americans with a 4-3 record at the end of a seven-game stretch over the past 33 days. The United States had beaten Sweden, Cuba, Costa Rica and Brazil before the losses to Mexico, the Netherlands and Belgium.