{"id":6349,"date":"2026-07-07T07:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T07:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=6349"},"modified":"2026-07-07T07:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T07:34:47","slug":"usa-knows-what-world-cup-disappointment-feels-like-it-hurts-all-the-same","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=6349","title":{"rendered":"USA Knows What World Cup Disappointment Feels Like. It Hurts All The Same."},"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> Christian Pulisic buried his head in his hands. Malik Tillman sat motionless on the turf. Tim Weah pulled him to his feet, but Tillman dropped back down. Nearby, Tim Ream \u2014 who rarely lets his emotions show \u2014 wiped away tears, while Mark McKenzie and Sebastian Berhalter wrapped an arm around him in consolation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The U.S. men\u2019s national team\u2019s 2026 World Cup is over after an uninspired, embarrassing and confounding 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday night. What started out as a hopeful and magical run ended the same as it always does \u2014 with an early exit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;It stings,&#8221; a visibly frustrated Tyler Adams told reporters after the game. &#8220;I don\u2019t like to be eliminated from anything. Tonight was not a good performance at all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>Tyler Adams reacts after conceding a goal during the second half in the USA&#8217;s World Cup loss to Belgium. (Photo by John Todd\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images).<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>No, it was not. The USA approached its previous four matches of the tournament with aggression and confidence, pressing high and playing on the front foot. On Monday, the Americans looked nothing like that team. They conceded soft goals, lacked the grit and resilience that had defined their campaign, and made far too many mistakes. When the final whistle blew, nobody sang, &#8220;Take Me Home, Country Roads.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;I wish I had the answers right now,&#8221; Adams said, sounding deflated. &#8220;I don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t know. It was the small things. Second ball is not falling when you feel like before, you were in the right spots and you were winning them. Just little gaps that were being exploited, small connections in the game where in other games, it just felt like everything was a little bit cleaner, sharper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;This was the moment to have the opportunity to advance and really try and do something special,&#8221; Adams added. &#8220;And we fell short.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span>Fans watch the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between USA and Belgium at the FIFA Fan Zone on the National Mall in Washington. (Photo by Mehmet Eser\/Anadolu 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>There was so much anticipation surrounding this World Cup. The Americans had the luxury of playing in front of tens of thousands of supporters in some of this country\u2019s best soccer cities. Fans packed every stadium draped in red, white and blue. Some came dressed as bald eagles or the Statue of Liberty. Outside venues, kids and adults played pickup games in Pulisic, Adams and Weston McKennie jerseys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>There was no doubt the team's early success had captured the country's attention. But these fans didn't just start showing up. They had spent years believing in a group long billed as the program's golden generation, waiting for it to deliver on its promise. This summer, they wanted to see a winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>On Monday, it felt as though nearly 70,000 fans were waiting for a moment to erupt. There was Tillman\u2019s free kick that tied the game 1-1 in the 31st minute, but 90 seconds later, Charles De Ketelaere rose over Ream to head home his second goal of the game and regain the lead for good. The U.S. never gave the crowd another real reason to cheer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"I trust in the guys no matter what, and we believe until the end,\" said Pulisic, who was subbed off in the 59th minute after twisting both his ankle and knee moments earlier. \"It sucks.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The 36 hours leading up to the game were strange. While the Americans tried to focus on preparing for the biggest game of their lives, FIFA reversed Folarin Balogun\u2019s suspension stemming from the controversial red card he was shown in the previous match. The decision became international news, fueled by President Donald Trump\u2019s involvement, Belgium\u2019s unsuccessful appeal and the broader ethical questions surrounding it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But in the end, all that matters is the U.S. failed to advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Players couldn\u2019t put their finger on what exactly went wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"There\u2019s no pressure, no moment, no extra weight or anything like that,\" said Ream, who partly bore responsibility for Belgium\u2019s first two goals. \"There\u2019s so many different thoughts and emotions that are running through me at the minute that I\u2019m not even thinking tactically or what could have been different. It\u2019s just one of those that I probably won\u2019t be able to personally think about for a few days until I really sit back and allow the emotions to subside and look at it from an analytical and technical standpoint.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The loss evoked memories of four years ago, when the U.S. was outclassed by the Netherlands in the World Cup round of 16 in Qatar. The difference? That team was younger, less experienced and not as accomplished. This group was playing at home with a roster full of talent led by a world-class coach in Mauricio Pochettino, who has managed the likes of Lionel Messi and Harry Kane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>And yet, \"it feels exactly the same,\" Adams said when asked to compare the two losses. \"Doesn\u2019t feel great. You go through it, you put yourself in those situations to try and break through at this moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"Yeah, it sucks.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>So much has been invested these last four years \u2014 emotions, time, money and more. Getting ahead of the next World Cup in 2030, what will it take to get this program over the hump?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>\"I\u2019m not in a good place to answer it right now,\" said Pulisic, who didn\u2019t record a single shot or create a chance vs. Belgium. \"I\u2019m disappointed. At some point, I\u2019ll be able to watch it back and figure it out.\"<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY SEATTLE STADIUM \u2014 Christian Pulisic buried his head in his hands. Malik Tillman sat motionless on the turf. Tim Weah pulled him to his feet, but Tillman dropped back down. Nearby, Tim Ream \u2014 who rarely lets his emotions show \u2014 wiped away tears, while Mark McKenzie and Sebastian Berhalter wrapped [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6349","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\/6349","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=6349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}