U.S. Gets Reality Check With World Cup Knockout By Belgium

SEATTLE — That’s all, folks.

Belgium knocked the U.S. out of the World Cup in a 4–1 loss in Seattle on Monday night, ending what had been a dream run for the host nation trying to prove something at the tournament.

The European side was the first elite opponent the U.S. had faced in the tournament after playing Paraguay, Australia, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After looking dominant in those matches, the U.S. struggled to get things going on offense, and made crucial mistakes that cost them goals.

The game was a rematch of the famous 2014 round of 16 game when Belgium sent the Americans home from Brazil despite a heroic performance by U.S. goalie Tim Howard.

Belgium has clung to the remnants of its own “Golden Generation,” with keeper Thibaut Courtois still on the squad 12 years later. Courtois was loudly booed whenever he touched the ball Monday night. 

Ultimately, it was a familiar result for a U.S. men’s team that was knocked out in the round of 16 in 2010, 2014, and 2022, and has only made it to one quarterfinal since 1930.

Belgium had not played to its potential so far in the World Cup, barely winning its group and nearly losing to Senegal in the round of 32 if not for some late goals. But Belgium looked the stronger of two sides from the outset of Monday’s match, even without Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, who did not start after struggling against Senegal.

Belgium first scored in the ninth minute, putting the U.S. down early in a match for the first time in the tournament. The tentative U.S. side righted the ship when Malik Tillman delivered the equalizer off a free kick in the 31st minute, just as he did in the win over Bosnia, but Belgium quickly responded with a goal of its own to retake the lead.

In the second half, goalkeeper Matt Freese erred in the 56th minute by coming up to meet the ball and failing to gain control of it. It was an ugly play, and Belgium easily got the ball past Tim Ream to find the back of the net and go up 3–1. U.S. star Christian Pulisic was subbed off shortly thereafter, and received attention on his calf from staff as he buried his face in his shirt. His replacement, Sebastian Berhalter, provided a needed spark of energy and the U.S. had a couple of decent looks, but wasn’t able to connect. In the 92nd minute, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku delivered a final blow after an error from U.S. defender Chris Richards.

The loss marks the end of a lucrative run for Fox and Telemundo, which have lost their two biggest draws in consecutive days. The USMNT was putting up blockbuster numbers: for the round of 32, an average of 26.4 million people watched on Fox and another 9.8 million watched on Telemundo. Mexico was another big money-maker for the networks, and El Tri was eliminated by England on Sunday night.

“This doesn’t have to be the last soccer you watch for the next four years,” Fox’s John Strong said at the end of the game. But the next two weeks are a bigger concern for Fox.

Questions about Pochettino’s future with the team will now get louder.

The Argentine manager had generated interest from clubs before the tournament, but he also has an offer to return to U.S. Soccer for another World Cup cycle. His leadership and tactical approach had largely been lauded up until the complete breakdown against Belgium.

The World Cup’s three host nations are now all out of the tournament after advancing to the round of 16, with Canada falling to Morocco on Saturday, and Mexico losing Sunday in a tight match with England at home in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.

On Monday morning, the fallout from the Balogun non-suspension was the dominant storyline. FIFA denied Belgium’s challenge to the striker playing in the match, then released a statement Monday afternoon that still did not clarify its reasoning. The U.S. confirmed before the match that Balogun would be starting; the Belgian federation had said after its unsuccessful challenge that it still contested him playing, and hinted it could take further legal action if he played.

Balogun, who had scored three goals for the U.S. in this tournament, was quieter Monday, though he did draw the contact that led to Tillman’s free kick.

The win that the U.S. can take away from the day—and the tournament—was the enormous level of support behind the team.

The festive atmosphere in Seattle before the match—and the sell-out crowd of 66,925 fans that was quite loud despite the U.S. mostly losing—were everything the team could hope for, and there were tens of millions of people consistently invested in the team’s success. But for yet another World Cup, the product on the field has yet to catch up. 

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