The hosts exited the World Cup on Monday night after an ugly 4-1 loss to Belgium.
For weeks, American fans have been saying one thing over and over: why not us? On Monday night, the United States found out precisely why not. The hosts were completely outplayed in Seattle and fell to a convincing 4-1 defeat to Belgium. After such a bright start to the World Cup, a Round of 16 exit is disappointing. The fashion in which the team exited is even more so.
This is a result the United States will regret, both on and off the pitch. The hosts started the tournament in fine form, and earned the respect of a nation — its own — with big wins over Paraguay and Australia.
Fans from all over the country were celebrating Folarin Balogun, a New York-born striker raised in England with Nigerian roots who plays in France. Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentine coach who’s been all over Europe, was a tactical mastermind, even in the eyes of people who didn’t know exactly what he was doing or why the United States played a certain way.
This United States team was more popular than any before it, and could do no wrong. Even a loss to Türkiye in the final group stage match didn’t cause too much alarm.
Much of that goodwill will have faded after the ugly defeat to Belgium. If there’s anything the American fan does not like, it’s a quitter, and while it’s hard to say the hosts quit, it’s even harder to claim they fought to the end. A 93rd-minute goal from Romelu Lukaku was a real sour note to end on a day where the United States was outmatched and outplayed.
This was a winnable game. People will look at the prestige of Belgium, its lofty international ranking and its stars on the bench, and say the United States never had a chance. That’s wrong. Belgium has been underwhelming throughout the World Cup. The ranking doesn’t matter; the stars are no longer in their prime.
Belgium nearly lost to Egypt in its opener, snatching a 1-1 draw thanks to an own goal in the second half. A week later, Belgium should have lost to Iran. However, Mehdi Taremi had a goal ruled out and was hauled down while through on goal — yes, Nathan Ngoy received a red card; no, this one was not overturned — as Rudi Garcia’s team held on for a 0-0 draw. Finally, the Belgians picked up three points in their final group game with a 5-1 win over New Zealand.
The team was rewarded with a match-up with Senegal in the Round of 32. Belgium was down 2-0 heading into the 85th minute, but clawed back two late goals to take it to extra time. A somewhat fortunate penalty in the final minute of extra time sent them to the Round of 16. This was not a flawless team. The United States, though, made it look like the Belgium teams of old from the start, going behind less than ten minutes in.
The Americans could not have asked for more favorable conditions throughout the tournament. Home-field advantage, combined with a relatively tame group, meant advancing was always a likely possibility. Pochettino’s side certainly played well, but crucially went ahead early (both via own goals) against Paraguay and Australia sides that are not designed to chase games.
The new format, which prioritized head-to-head over goal difference, meant the Türkiye game was meaningless, as the United States had already topped the group. In retrospect, it’s worth wondering how things would have gone differently had the hosts played a full-strength team against the only group stage opponents who attempted to keep meaningful possession. However, Pochettino elected to protect his starters, which few can fault him for.
Bosnia awaited in the Round of 32. Bosnia has sprung some surprises in recent years, notably denying Italy a spot in the World Cup. For a knockout spot, though, Bosnia is certainly not the toughest draw. Despite going down to ten men after Balogun was sent off, the United States came out as comfortable 2-0 winners to book its spot in the Round of 16.
And so Belgium awaited. Not only was Belgium in unremarkable form, but Garcia benched key players, such as Jérémy Doku. More importantly for the United States, Balogun was surprisingly allowed to play despite his red card. President Donald Trump has taken credit while FIFA has tried to deny political interference. Regardless of the real reason, being unexpectedly gifted the return of your star striker is a massive development. It didn’t matter.
No individual can be singled out for that performance. Matt Freese certainly did not help with his bizarre error that truly put the game out of reach, but he was far from the lone culprit. Captain Tim Ream certainly did not make any new fans with his performance. Christian Pulisic, who entered the World Cup with high expectations, went out on a real low. The whole team fell flat, perhaps barring Malik Tillman.
Pulisic will be 31 by the time the 2030 World Cup rolls around. So will Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, while Jedi Robinson will be 32. Perhaps the talent will be replenished, but perhaps it won’t. The United States has never seen a player of Pulisic’s ability before. Yet, with so many elite players in their primes, the best this team will do is a Round of 16 finish, as a significantly worse team achieved in Qatar against significantly tougher teams.
This is not to discredit the United States. The team, for three of its five games, played very well. In the first four, there was undeniably fight. Fans were made along the way. Balogun and Pochettino established themselves as fan favorites and, in Balogun’s case, as a striker you can really rely on. All of that is not to be taken for granted, especially considering where the team was just a few years ago.
But the United States certainly could have, and should have, done more. Achieving history, and at home, would have been a massive moment for the sport. We still haven’t seen soccer truly break through in the country, but there were glimpses this summer. A quarter-final spot, where Spain awaits, would have increased interest massively. These chances do not come along often. Going out this early, and in that fashion, is more than a little disappointing. It will not be forgotten soon.
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Image via @USMNT (X).
