{"id":6317,"date":"2026-07-07T02:35:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T02:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=6317"},"modified":"2026-07-07T02:35:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T02:35:01","slug":"end-of-the-world-cup-4-takeaways-from-usas-knockout-loss-to-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=6317","title":{"rendered":"End Of The World Cup: 4 Takeaways From USA&#039;s Knockout Loss To Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14><strong>SEATTLE STADIUM \u2014 <\/strong>It\u2019s the end of the world for the U.S. men\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The USA was the final 2026 FIFA World Cup co-host still standing after Canada and Mexico were eliminated over the weekend. On Monday, the Americans joined them, losing 4-1 to Belgium in front of another raucous home crowd with a spot in Friday\u2019s quarterfinal against Spain on the line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Despite the controversial return of striker Folarin Balogun to coach Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s starting lineup \u2014 Balogun, who was originally suspended for Monday\u2019s contest because of the red card he received in last week\u2019s 2-0 victory in the round of 32 over Bosnia and Herzegovina, was allowed to play by FIFA\u2019s disciplinary committee following pressure from U.S. Soccer and government officials \u2014 the U.S. couldn\u2019t top an opponent global soccer\u2019s governing body ranks No. 9 to the Stars and Stripes\u2019 No. 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>It only took Charles De Ketelaere eight minutes to put Belgium ahead. And while USA playmaker Malik Tillman pulled the hosts level with his second free-kick goal in as many knockout games, the Belgian forward killed whatever momentum Tillman\u2019s strike had generated by notching his second \u2014 the eventual game-winner \u2014 moments later to restore the Red Devils&#8217; lead. They wouldn\u2019t relinquish it again, with Hans Vanaken adding the backbreaking third in the second half following a mistake from Stars and Stripes keeper Matt Freese. Romelu Lukaku added insult to injury with Belgium&#8217;s fourth in stoppage time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Monday\u2019s defeat marks the fourth time the U.S. has been eliminated in the round of 16 since 2010. The Americans\u2019 only win at that stage came against regional rival Mexico in 2002.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Here are my four takeaways from the USA&#8217;s World Cup elimination loss:<\/p>\n<p><span>(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt &#8211; AMA\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>As impressive as the Belgians were in coming back to beat Senegal in the round of 32, despite trailing 2-0 late, the Red Devils hadn\u2019t been overly convincing at this World Cup. In group play, they couldn\u2019t beat Egypt. They couldn\u2019t beat Iran. Rumors of infighting persisted even after Rudi Garcia\u2019s team had advanced to the last 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Perhaps it was FIFA\u2019s decision to overturn Balogun\u2019s ban, but Belgium appeared as cohesive as could be from the first whistle on Monday. It\u2019s not as if either of De Ketelaere goals came against the run of play; Garcia\u2019s side outshot the U.S., 11-2, in the first half and enjoyed 53% of possession, even though the Americans trailed for all but 10 of the opening 45 minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>When the U.S. did have the ball, it didn\u2019t do much with it. Pochettino\u2019s squad had looked so sharp and assertive all tournament; suddenly it appeared sloppy and tentative in its biggest game. Even Tillman\u2019s free kick lacked precision; only a fortunate deflection off the Belgian wall allowed the effort to beat veteran backstop Thibaut Courtois.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The second half wasn\u2019t much better for the U.S. And when Belgium went up by two, the mountain was simply too tall to climb.<\/p>\n<p><span>(Photo by Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Four years ago in Qatar, the U.S. began its round of 16 contest vs. the Netherlands superbly. But the Dutch punished the first mistake the Americans made \u2014 Memphis Depay was allowed to arrive in the box unchecked, easily finishing Denzel Dumfries\u2019 deft cutback pass \u2014 and never looked back on the way to a decisive 3-1 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>With that unhappy experience under their belts, an older and wider USA was supposed to know better this time. That\u2019s not how it played out. Errors are rarely forgiven at World Cups. That goes double in elimination games. Yet both of De Ketelaere\u2019s goals were preventable; the other U.S. defenders were slow to react to Alex Freeman\u2019s wayward clearance on the first. On the second, the Italy-based striker out-jumped flat-footed U.S. captain Tim Ream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The timing of Belgium\u2019s second goal was terrible, coming just 61 seconds after play restarted following Tillman\u2019s equalizer. While that strike killed the momentum, the final blow came just before the half-hour mark. Freese was the culprit this time, with Vanaken firing Belgium\u2019s third into the Americans\u2019 vacated net after Freese raced out of his 18-yard-box for an interception, only to promptly give the ball away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA\/Getty Images)<\/span> --><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>On Sunday, Pochettino sought to insulate himself from criticism in the event of a loss, saying that he is but &#8220;a small part&#8221; and that his &#8220;players are responsible&#8221; for the outcome. But the buck stops with USA\u2019s high-profile 54-year-old coach, who simply couldn&#8217;t coax a good performance out of his team against the only elite opponent it faced at this World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Lured as a mercenary with a salary several multiples higher than any previous men\u2019s or women\u2019s boss, the Argentine was supposed to be the man capable of taking perhaps the most talented collection of Americans ever to new heights. Instead, it turned out to be more of the same.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>While he set a new U.S. record with three World Cup wins, Pochettino was only able to equal what every one of his predecessors this century also achieved: reaching the round of 16. Gregg Berhalter did it four years ago in Qatar. J\u00fcrgen Klinsmann\u2019s 2014 squad took Belgium to extra time. Bob Bradley did the same in 2010 after winning a group that included England. And none of them had the advantage of playing at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Monday\u2019s loss ensures that Americans\u2019 best showing since the inaugural World Cup in 1930 \u2014 Bruce Arena took the Americans all the way to the quarterfinals in 2002 \u2014 will remain so for at least another four years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>All that talk about reaching the semis this summer, about leaving a legacy, about potentially even winning the World Cup \u2014 &#8220;Why Not <i>Us<\/i>?&#8221; Pochettino asked at every opportunity \u2014 was just that: talk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Top-level sports are a results business. You are what your record says you are. After winning his first two games and a round of 32 match at this World Cup, the former Paris Saint-Germain manager, in the end lost the game that mattered the most.<\/p>\n<p><span>(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Expect changes in the short term. Pochettino was never coming back, despite the U.S. Soccer Federation offering before the World Cup to extend his contract through 2030; if that offer isn\u2019t off the table now, it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Who will replace Poch? With a search led by USSF CEO JT Batson, new COO Dan Helfrich and acting sporting director Oguchi Onyewu,<strong> <\/strong>my money is on Portuguese manager Roberto Martinez, who announced following his team\u2019s loss to Spain that he would not return to the Lusos\u2019 sideline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Or, perhaps the USSF will buy American. There aren\u2019t many obvious domestic candidates; among those, former U.S. assistant B.J. Callaghan might have the best case, having led the U.S. to the 2023 Nations League title as interim coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Beyond that, who knows? Wednesday\u2019s defeat doesn\u2019t fall on Batson or U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, who both have been wildly successful in their respective roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Finally, this was surely the international swan song for players such as 38-year-old captain Tim Ream, reserve midfielder Cristian Roldan and others, too. Will Antonee \"Jedi\" Robinson\u2019s knees last to Morocco, Portugal and Spain for the 2030 World Cup, when he\u2019ll be almost 33? What about the fragile hamstrings of Tyler Adams or Gio Reyna or Sergi\u00f1o Dest? Adams, McKennie and Pulisic will all also be on the wrong side of 30. Matt Turner will turn 36 during the 2030 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Pochettino\u2019s roster featured 13 holdovers from 2022. Hard to see that many mainstays returning four years from now.<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY SEATTLE STADIUM \u2014 It\u2019s the end of the world for the U.S. men\u2019s national team. The USA was the final 2026 FIFA World Cup co-host still standing after Canada and Mexico were eliminated over the weekend. On Monday, the Americans joined them, losing 4-1 to Belgium in front of another raucous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6316,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}