It’s over. Sold-out (again) Seattle sees U.S. World Cup end, 4-1 loss to Belgium

It was all there for United States soccer.

Seattle absolutely enraptured by the world’s biggest sporting event. It so thriving playing out over six thrilling matches/civic matches that international soccer experts have been saying the World Cup final should be in Seattle, not the New Jersey swamps west of New York City.

A nation so captivated by the U.S.’ World Cup run, the White House was involved in making sure the Americans’ star player would play Monday night in the World Cup round-of-16 match at Lumen Field.

But that’s where it all ended. Like World Cups do for the United States.

Belgium, the world’s eighth-ranked team in the latest FIFA rankings, looked like top-ranked monsters Monday night.

The Americans looked like they still have so far to go to compete on the elite level of international soccer. Despite all they accomplished in getting here.

All that red-card matter over star Folarin Balogun playing for the U.S. ultimately didn’t matter.

Belgium 4, United States 1.

The Americans still have only advanced past the round of 16 in the World Cup once in modern history. And not in 24 years.

Belgium dominates right away

Belgium nearly scored twice in the match’s first 2 minutes. Goalkeeper Matt Freese had to leap and dive high and far to his right to deny an early Belgian shot.

The early Belgian onslaught paid off to the lead in the ninth minute. American defender Chris Richards allowed a free cross through to the center of the penalty area in front of goal. Captain Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and the rest of the U.S. defense allowed Belgian attacker Charles De Ketelaere to outjump them to the ball. De Ketelaere’s header easily zipped past Freese into the net to Belgium’s deserved, 1-0 lead.

After his team let the cross go unchallenged for the unmarked goal, coach Mauricio Pochettino slapped the roof of the U.S. bench covering. He then sat with disgust along the Americans’ touchline.

Belgium continued to dominate, particularly in the midfield. Pochettino and the fifth sellout crowd in six Seattle World Cup matches (the other, Belgium-Egypt in the first one June 16 in the opening games) simmered for the next half hour.

In the 31st minute, Malik Tillman did it again — to get the U.S. level again.

The hero of the Americans’ round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last week with the clinching free-kick goal lined up for another in the first half Monday. This free kick into Belgium’s wall glanced off a leaping defender’s head. The ball changed direction opposite where goalkeeper Thibault Courtois was moving and rolled into the back of the net.

The U.S. tied the match at 1. The place was roaring again. “USA!” chants trumpeted the match being tied.

They lasted 90 seconds.

That’s when after Tillman’s equalizer, Belgium’s De Ketelaere struck again. Like a basketball rebounder, he easily bodied and out-leaped the 38-year-old Ream for another free cross into the middle of the Americans’ back line. Belgium led again, 2-1, on De Ketelaere’s second unmarked goal of the first half.

De Ketelaere had been subbed off at halftime of Belgium’s previous match, the comeback late from down 0-2 to beat Senegal in the round of 32 in Seattle.

The Belgians nearly made it 3-1 in the 43rd minute — on another defensive mistake by the U.S. On a free kick from about 30 yards out, the Americans left Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio unmarked running toward the front post. Lukebakio directed his running header just wide of the goal’s left post.

How dominant were the Belgians in the opening half? Their 11 shots in the first 45 minutes were more than the total combined shots the U.S. had allowed in their first four matches of this World Cup combined. That were the Americans’ wins over Paraguay then Australia in Seattle, a mean-nothing loss to Turkiye and the round-of-32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last week.

Coach Rudi Garcia didn’t start Belgian legends Kevin De Bruyne, whom he’d benched in the 59th minute last week before his team’s round-of-32 comeback win, and Romelu Lukaku plus younger star Jeremy Doku Monday.

Lukaku came on in the 67th minute against the U.S. — in an opposite role this time. By the time he and Doku entered Monday, Belgium led instead of trailed by two.

That’s because in the 57th minute, Freese ventured 20-plus yards out of his U.S. net well beyond the top of the penalty area to reach a long ball out of the Belgian end. What should have been a harmless clear into the midfield became an American disaster: Freese got his cleat stuck in Lumen’s months-old, temporary real-grass pitch as his cocked his right leg back to kick the ball.

That allowed Belgium’s Hans Vanaken to steal the unexpectedly loose ball and send it into the open net from about 25 yards out, past Ream flailing in vain trying to stop it.

Freese looked back at the ball in the net in grimaced.

Then star Christian Pulisic, who lost possession 11 times in the first half alone, limped off the field injured in the wake of the Belgium’s surprise goal celebration.

All American hope seemed lost.

It was.

Substitute Sebastian Berhalter gave the Americans a flicker of comeback hope in the 79th minute by deftly touching a ball from right foot to left then rifling a shot from the top of the penalty area. It zoomed just wide of goal to keep the U.S. down 3-1.

Then Lukaku made it 4-1 into second-half stoppage time.

When it ended, on the same pitch the Americans had joyous formed a human circle and sang John Denver’s Country Roads with sold-out Lumen Field singing along following the group-stage win over Australia June 19, Freese walked around aimlessly. Midfielder Weston McKinnie sat on the U.S. bench with his navy-blue game jersey pulled over his mouth.

As joyously as it had gone for a month, as rollicking as it began Monday at match time, it was over.