US vs. Belgium Preview- A Closer Look at Belgium's Talented Youngsters

The US will look to rebound from their disappointing 1-0 loss to Costa Rica against a highly talented Belgium squad (tomorrow @ 2:30pm ET, ESPN), who will be hungry for a win as well after a disastrous 1-1 draw in Euro qualifying. Fans will get a chance to see if Klinsmann’s new passing-intensive link up play can withstand the pressure applied by the world class players Belgium puts on the field.

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The Belgian side is chock full of young talent but they have yet to see that talent transfer into results on the pitch. Belgium currently sits third in their Euro 2012 qualifying group behind Germany and Turkey. The Belgians have one qualifying game left and will need a lot of help from Turkey in order to qualify for the Euros.

As for who to watch on this Belgian side, well there is quite a few young talents on this team, starting with Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku is a physical specimen and is already being called the "second coming" of Didier Drogba. This is very high praise for an 18-year-old, but he has all the raw attributes to become a player of that caliber. Then you have Eden Hazard, who helped lead French side Lille to a league title last season. Hazard is a very skilled and speedy winger who has been tracked by various top clubs across Europe, including Arsenal.

Another young star is Alex Witsel who plays in Portugal for Benfica. Witsel, an attacking central midfielder, recently helped Benfica qualify for the group stages of the Champions league. The Belgian side is rounded out with the likes of giant defenders Vincent Kompany and Daniel Van Buyten along with Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Needless to say this is a very young and talented side, who will give the US all they can handle especially away from home.

Romelu Lukaku Highlight Video (must-watch)....

Eden Hazard Highlight Video...

A couple things to watch from a US perspective:

1. Can the current crop of US players implement Klinsmann’s philosophy effectively against a superior opponent?

As documented above, this Belgium team is comprised of many talented players. These world-class players will be aggressive and will not sit back as Costa Rica did. As a result, Klinsmann’s proactive approach will be tested. Can these US players handle the responsibilities that come along with this style of play without being exposed?

This is a difficult question to answer just because this system is still brand new to the team. So a poor performance tomorrow will not mean all is lost. However, I do think the Yanks will struggle tomorrow to implement the same system that we saw during the fist half against Costa Rica. Belgium will close down spaces more quickly, forcing the US player to make faster decisions, which will lead to problems in possession.

2. Will the US get a shot on goal?

Somehow the US managed to have 0 shots in the first half against a weak Costa Rican side, a half in which the Americans dominated. It is pretty obvious that you can’t win a game that way, so let’s see if this team can step up against a superior opponent and attack the goal. I think Dempsey will change this stat in hurry. He's never afraid to take a chance, but still the whole US attack needs to rise to the occasion. This match will be a good barometer of how far the US needs to go in order to really compete against top nations.

Prediction: 2-1 Belgium. Too much talent for the US to handle.