It’s over. The USA has been defeated, and its 2026 World Cup is over.
FIFA’s reversal of Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension meant Mauricio Pochettino could name his preferred starting lineup. Rudi Garcia named a starting XI for Belgium that surprisingly excluded both Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku. Belgium were on top from the beginning, with Belgian fullback Castagne striking a long-range shot that was curling toward the top corner before Matt Freese saved it in just the second minute of the game.
Belgium crafted another good chance for Youri Tielemans to score in the 8th minute, which he wasn’t able to connect with.
The raucous Seattle crowd was quieted in the 9th minute when Alex Freeman’s headed clearance fell in the box, Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie were passive in allowing it to bounce, and Nicolas Raskin charged onto it, setting up Charles De Ketaelaere for an easy finish, which he buried. 1-0 Belgium. The lack of defensive aggression and intensity was disappointing to see from a team playing at home in a World Cup, and that theme would return.
In the 18th minute, Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana went down injured, and was replaced in the 21st minute by Hans Vanaken. A few minutes later, we reached the hydration break, marking the first quarter of the game. In the 29th minute, Folarin Balogun received the ball outside the top of the box and won a foul. Malik Tillman stepped up and scored the free kick, sending the crowd into a frenzy! Thibaut Courtois had committed his weight and momentum one way before Tillman’s kick deflected off one of the defenders in Belgium’s wall, redirecting it to the opposite side of the goal, and the Real Madrid ‘keeper was helpless to stop it. 1-1, all tied up.
Just two minutes later, the US defense was far too casual in allowing Belgium to get into dangerous positions, and Leandro Trossard was able to float a cross into the box, where De Ketelaere beat Tim Ream to the ball and headed it home for a brace, completely reversing the hard-earned momentum earned from Tillman’s equalizer just moments before. Dodi Lukebakio got another chance for Belgium in the 43rd minute which he didn’t capitalize on, and the half ended at 2-1.
Coming out of halftime, Mauricio Pochettino made his first change, bringing Gio Reyna off the bench in place of Sergiño Dest. In the 54th minute, Christian Pulisic had the ball just outside the top of Belgium’s box and went for a shot, only to kick Youri Tielemans, whose leg had intervened at the last possible moment. Pulisic clearly picked up some kind of injury at this moment, and was seen limping a few minutes later.
In the 57th minute, Belgium lumped a long ball forward for De Ketelaere, and Matt Freese came out of his box to meet it. Freese controlled it with his chest, and instead of clearing it or blasting it upfield, he hesitated, allowing Hans Vanaken to take the ball off his foot and shoot at an open goal. Tim Ream had a chance to save the play, and his off-balance jump-kick made slight contact with the ball, but not enough, as it trickled into the US net. 3-1 Belgium.
Two minutes later, Christian Pulisic had to come off because of his earlier injury, replaced by Sebastian Berhalter. In the 67th, Belgium brought Jérémy Doku off the bench in place of Lukebakio, and Romelu Lukaku in for De Ketelaere. Three minutes later, we reached the second-half hydration break.
Returning from the break, Pochettino brought Ricardo Pepi on for Tyler Adams, seeking an attacking spark. In the 78th minute, McKennie’s cross was only partially cleared, falling to Berhalter, who blasted it just wide, beating Courtois to the far post, but ending just outside the goal. One of the best USA opportunities of the night fell to Folarin Balogun in the 82nd minute when he slipped past his defender and charged in on goal, but his shot went straight at Courtois. In the 85th, Doku danced past Freeman and set up a chance for Belgium, which was eventually blocked by Chris Richards.
In the 3rd minute of second-half stoppage time, Richards got caught on the ball by Lukaku, who carried it into the box and curled it past Freese. 4-1 Belgium. And that is how it ended.
What began over 8 years ago with the June 2018 announcement that the USA would co-host the World Cup (and in some ways, began with the rebirth of the team after the October 2017 loss to Trinidad and Tobago that doomed the USA to miss the 2018 World Cup) has ended with a lopsided loss to a weaker version of the same nation that knocked the USA out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, again in the Round of 16. The 2014 game went to extra time and ended 1-2, unlike tonight’s 1-4 scoreline.
There were a lot of good memories from this World Cup. A lot of good moments along the way. The opening 4-1 win over Paraguay was sensational, a party that set the tone for the tournament. The 2-0 win over Australia kept that momentum going. The 2-0 win over Belgium – especially Malik Tillman’s sensational free kick when the USA was down to 10 men – will live on in the memory. Those were good moments. But with tonight’s loss, the tournament feels incomplete. The team seemed poised to go further. A tournament that had begun so brightly hit a sudden stop tonight, fading out quickly, and it feels, prematurely.
