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Seattle Lumen Field, 66,925 people.
Lumen Field, Seattle. 66,925 people.
The scoreboard read 4-1. In the 90+3rd minute, Lukaku sealed the win. As the final whistle blew, he yanked off the No. 24 jersey he was wearing.
The jersey's owner was not on the pitch.
Amadou Onana sat on the bench, crutches by his side, a heavy brace on his right knee, staring at the turf. In the midst of a 4-1 victory celebration, one man lifted his jersey, another leaned on crutches.
His ligament snapped in the 21st minute.
Tracking back to mark Pulisic, he planted his right foot to push off. His knee twisted awkwardly as his body turned. No contact. He went down on his own.
After the match, team doctor Brahim Hassin's statement left no room for doubt: "Medical examinations confirm an anterior cruciate ligament tear."
Season over.
Head coach Rudi Garcia called it "the only cloud" over the night in his press conference.
This wasn't just losing a starter. Onana was the engine of Garcia's high-press system. In July 2024, Aston Villa paid €50 million to pry him from Everton, buying his coverage area and relentless tackling.
Now that engine was wrecked.
He went off; Vanaken came on. In the 57th minute, Vanaken intercepted a pass from US goalkeeper Fraser and slotted into an empty net.
The scoreboard said 4-1, but the tactical board was full of holes.
After Vanaken's goal, the space for the US midfielders to turn with the ball in the center of the park grew visibly larger. Belgium's defensive pressure in the holding midfield role had a gap. Garcia's pressing system was running on half power.
Four days later, the quarterfinal opponent was Spain.
Garcia confirmed the worst in his press conference: Onana was out. Belgium, without their midfield destroyer, would face the toughest test in the tournament.
Spain's coaching staff was probably smiling. The hardest piece of Belgium's midfield puzzle had shattered on its own.
This Spanish team had an expected goals against (xGA) average of 0.29 per game, the lowest in the tournament. In the Round of 16 against Portugal, they held 61.3% possession.
They didn't need to sprint all over the field. With over 60% possession, they could pass the ball around like a rosary, running opponents into the ground. Without a midfield shield, Belgium had to face a team that specialized in killing with passes. If you can't win the ball, you just chase it.
Switch back to the club. Emery's midfield trio at Villa Park: Onana, Kamara, Tielemans.
Now two corners had collapsed.
Kamara tore his ACL in February 2024, missing eight months. He injured his PCL again in January this year and still hadn't returned. Onana had just finished a full season, helping the team secure the Europa League and fourth place in the Premier League, only to fall in the national team.
18 months, two midfield pillars, two major knee injuries.
The medical team's recovery timeline was 7 to 8 months, meaning Onana would miss most of Villa's 2026-27 season. The autumn Champions League qualifiers were imminent, forcing Villa into emergency recruitment. Emery's carefully crafted summer transfer plan was completely overturned by a non-contact fall in the 21st minute.
Onana would stay with the team in Los Angeles until Friday night's kickoff.
He would sit in the stands at SoFi Stadium, watching his teammates face a team that could run you ragged without needing to run much themselves.
The 4-1 scoreline stayed in Seattle.
In Los Angeles on Friday, no one would be staring at the No. 24 jersey in his hands.
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