The USA was defeated 4-1 by Belgium in Seattle on Monday, ending the hosts' 2026 World Cup at the Round of 16. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice.
The USA was defeated 4-1 by Belgium in Seattle on Monday, ending the hosts' 2026 World Cup at the Round of 16. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice.
A week ago the story was defiance. The USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 with ten men to reach the last 16, ending a knockout drought that stretched back to 2002.
That run is now over. Belgium beat the hosts 1-4 at Seattle Stadium on Monday, and the Americans failed to reach the quarter-finals, again.
Charles De Ketelaere put Belgium ahead in the 9th minute, tucking in a cross from Nicolas Raskin. Malik Tillman levelled from a free kick in the 31st minute, his effort deflecting in off the wall.
The equaliser lasted barely a minute. De Ketelaere headed Belgium back in front in the 33rd from a Leandro Trossard cross. Hans Vanaken added a third in the 57th after goalkeeper Matt Freese was caught far out of his box and dispossessed. Romelu Lukaku, on as a substitute, drilled in a fourth in stoppage time.
Belgium outshot the USA 7-2, even though the hosts held 56% of possession. De Ketelaere took the Player of the Match award for his brace.
Mauricio Pochettino did not hide from the performance. "The principal responsibility falls on me, but it wasn't the way we normally play," the head coach said.
He returned to the theme of a team that never settled. "Everyone saw that from the beginning, we did not connect with the game. Even when we scored the equaliser, we conceded with the next action," Pochettino said. "Maybe the explanation is easy, and it just wasn't our day collectively and individually."
Tyler Adams echoed the frustration. "Tonight was not a good performance probably overall," the midfielder said. "When you concede goals that easily against the team of that quality and that caliber, it's going to be difficult."
Adams also brushed aside the pre-match controversy over Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension had been lifted before the tie. "I don't think that noise or anything affected us by any means," he said. "If anything, it probably uplifted us in a sense."
The scoreline masked a few American landmarks. The USA finished the tournament with three wins and 11 goals, both single-edition national records. Tillman became only the second player since detailed records began in 1966 to score two direct free-kick goals at a single World Cup, joining France's Bernard Genghini from 1982.
Weston McKennie was the only U.S. player to start all five matches, reaching nine career World Cup starts. Christian Pulisic limped off in the second half with a right ankle injury, ending a difficult tournament for the American captain.
The result made the USA the last of the three co-host nations to exit, after Canada and Mexico. It also marked the second time Belgium have eliminated the Americans at this stage, after their extra-time win in 2014.
Belgium move on to the quarter-finals, where they meet Spain in Los Angeles on July 10. The Spanish reached the last eight by knocking out Portugal.
