{"id":4801,"date":"2026-07-07T05:08:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T05:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4801"},"modified":"2026-07-07T05:08:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T05:08:27","slug":"the-u-s-mens-run-at-the-world-cup-ends-with-a-4-1-round-of-16-loss-to-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4801","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. men’s run at the World Cup ends with a 4-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SEATTLE \u2014 This time was supposed to be different.<\/p>

The U.S. men’s national team came into this FIFA World Cup with a lineup full of players with key roles in Europe’s top leagues. They had the name-brand coach \u2014 Mauricio Pochettino, of Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea fame. And they had homefield advantage, with every game on U.S. soil for the first time in three decades.<\/p>

Read more What a divorce coach wishes couples knew before ending a marriage<\/a><\/p>

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\"U.S.<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
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Soccer Edition <\/h3>\n

U.S. striker will play against Belgium at World Cup after Trump red card controversy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

For weeks, the hype seemed like it might be real: The team’s three wins over Paraguay, Australia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were the most ever by a U.S. men’s squad in a World Cup. A new generation of American fans filled stadiums by the tens of thousands and tuned in on TV by the tens of millions.<\/p>

But in the end, the Americans’ exit was the same as it ever was: Eliminated yet again in the Round of 16 at the hands of a European team \u2014 this time, Belgium, by a score of 4-1.<\/p>\n

From the moment they stepped onto the Seattle field, the U.S. was outclassed by their opponent, No. 9-ranked Belgium. Countless turnovers and defensive lapses were seized on by the Belgians, who needed only nine minutes to take a 1-0 lead.<\/p>

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\"Cristiano<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
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Soccer Edition <\/h3>\n

This World Cup marks end of era for Ronaldo and other soccer greats<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Then, once the Americans equalized on a free kick by midfielder Malik Tillman, Belgium scored yet again in barely a minute of play. Belgian forward Charles De Ketelaere scored both his team’s first-half goals.<\/p>

After halftime, came an embarrassing nail in the coffin that silenced the Seattle sellout crowd for good \u2014 a 57th-minute roll-in by Hans Vanaken after a slip-up by goalkeeper Matt Freese outside of the penalty area left the goal unguarded. Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku then added a stoppage-time goal to seal the final score at 4-1.<\/p>\n

“Today we didn’t show our real quality,” said Pochettino after the game. “It just hurts to be eliminated.”<\/p>

Read more American history through song<\/a><\/p>

“It stinks,” said U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams. “Tonight was not a good performance overall. It’s not what we look to achieve. There [were] a lot of things that we could have done better.” <\/p>

The U.S. had entered Monday’s game under a cloud of controversy around their striker Folarin Balogun, who was shown a red card in last week’s Round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. An automatic one-game suspension was set to sideline Balogun, the Americans’ leading scorer at the World Cup, for Monday’s game.<\/p>\n\n

Then, the day before the game, a FIFA disciplinary panel took the highly unusual step of delaying Balogun’s suspension by a year to allow him to participate. Then, news broke that President Trump had personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to encourage him to review the red card.<\/p>

The Royal Belgian Football Association said it would protest Balogun’s inclusion in the lineup. But even at full strength, the U.S. were never real contenders in Monday’s game.<\/p>

U.S. defender and team captain Tim Ream said the controversy swirling around the team had no impact. “We were fully focused on us as a group and as a team and fully focused on the game and not really worrying about what was being said or debated in the outside world.”<\/p>

Belgium will advance to the quarterfinals for the third time in the past four World Cups, where it will face Spain on Friday in Los Angeles.<\/p>

Read more Extreme heat on Independence Day will be America\u2019s new normal, experts say<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The team was in the eye of a storm over a controversial phone call from President Trump to FIFA’s head about a red card on a U.S. striker. 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