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—and none since 2002.

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 with 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 by U.S. defender Chris Richards.

Monday was the second match of the tournament where Pulisic was subbed off early due to injury. He said after the match that he “twisted my ankle and my knee in one play.” He also sat out against Australia and was subbed on late against Turkey.

“I felt really good this summer playing with the guys, and I thought my level was high,” Pulisic said. “It’s disappointing I didn’t quite have the moments I was hoping to, and to try to help us to really push and get over this next step of beating a really good team.”

Pulisic said that the team could be “proud of” its win over Bosnia, but that “we want to have higher hopes than that.”

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.

What Now?

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

The Argentine 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.

When asked about his future in the press conference, Pochettino said “now is not a good moment to talk about that,” and that those conversations should happen in the coming weeks. But, he said he is “so happy” and thinks he and the federation have “a very good relationship.”

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.

On Monday morning, the fallout from the Folarin Balogun non-suspension was the dominant storyline, with U.S. President Donald Trump proudly admitting he called FIFA and asked them to look at his red card and automatic one-match ban.

The Belgians were furious, but had the last laugh Monday night. “Overturn this,” the Belgian team’s account tweeted after the blowout. And the Belgian players did the “Trump dance” after Lukaku’s stoppage time goal sealed the beatdown.

“I think we were not good enough today, I don’t think we need to find another excuse,” Pochettino said when asked about the Balogun suspension.

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 2026 tournament was supposed to be a turnaround for the U.S. program, with a big, expensive hire in Pochettino, a core group of talented players that had grown into their primes since 2022, and a thunderous home-field advantage. For the first four matches, things looked different, and confidence around the USMNT was at an all-time high. But on Monday evening, with every advantage possible, the team completely failed to meet the moment.

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.