I stopped by the Museum of Fine Arts here in Houston this morning and stood before Frederic Remington's *A Dash for the Timber* — all that raw, unstoppable forward momentum, and I thought, yes, this is Belgium today. De Bruyne conducts this midfield like a maestro who has already heard the symphony before the orchestra lifts its bow, and New Zealand's defensive structure simply has no answer for the relentless waves that Doku and De Ketelaere will bring from wide positions. Chris Wood will chase shadows all afternoon, and I say this with great affection for the All Whites — sometimes the most honest thing you can do is admire the art being painted against you.

Belgium's midfield is simply operating at a different altitude here — De Bruyne and Raskin will suffocate New Zealand's ability to transition, and with zero attacking pressure generated by the All Whites, Chris Wood may barely see the ball in dangerous areas. Doku's width against Cacace on the left flank is the specific mismatch that will tear this open, and once Belgium find that channel, the goals will flow. I tried Houston's kolache this week in the NRG Stadium district — an unexpected Central European pastry transplanted to Texas, and honestly my version wasn't far off my opa's recipe.