The United States men’s national team had several pundits who spoke about the success they had during their run at the 2026 World Cup. U.S. Women’s National Team legend and Fox Sports soccer analyst Carli Lloyd was one of them. In the aftermath of the USMNT’s loss to Belgium in the Round of 16, she mentioned that the run was a success. After a few days to think about it, success is still visible in her eyes.
A two-time Women’s World Cup winner and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd
spoke to Stars & Stripes FC as part of her partnership with Verizon to identify young entrepreneurs with the Super Pitch competition.
She discussed whether taking time to reflect had changed her opinion of the USMNT’s progress during the World Cup. And she said that despite the brutal elimination at the hands of Belgium, it was still a successful tournament for the USMNT.
“I had a few days to let things settle. I did say on air that… even if they did lose the game it would be a success. But I failed to mention that if they lose the game in a great fashion, it would still be a success. Tactics alone, player for player, I do believe Belgium are a bit of a better squad… There is a gap. The intangibles of things you can control, the effort, the passion, it just seemed to me the moment was maybe too big, the pressure of it. It just seemed to me they lost the game before they even got out there.
“We saw them confident on the ball, pressing, fighting, gritty and all those things we were questioning before the World Cup. To lose in that fashion with the mistakes and all that, I’m sure every player, coach and staff member walked away with a bit of a sour taste in their mouths. Everything up to that had been so amazing, and I do still see it as a success. You look at soccer here in America and what this World Cup has done, but in terms of results and how much further along we are from a soccer team perspective, we’re still not getting past that threshold. That’s the biggest question of why and what can be done to go further and compete with the big time teams.”
The USMNT opened up group play on a dream high, thumping Paraguay 4-1 in their largest goal total and margin of victory in a World Cup match. They followed that up with a 2-0 victory over Australia, finding out later that night that they had won Group D thanks to a Paraguay win over Türkiye. With the third group stage match essentially meaningless, head coach Mauricio Pochettino rested his starters and the team lost 3-2 to an already-eliminated Türkiye on a last second goal.
Winners of Group D, the USMNT hosted Bosnia & Herzegovina, who finished third in Group B, in Santa Clara in the Round of 32. The game was highlighted by Folarin Balogun getting his third goal of the World Cup but also receiving a controversial red card in the 53rd minute. Down to 10 men, Malik Tillman later scored on a beautiful free kick to help the USMNT to a 2-0 win and a trip to the Round of 16.
There, the team was initially boosted by receiving word the day before the match that FIFA had suspended Balogun’s 1-match red card ban, making him eligible to play. But, controversy swirled around FIFA’s decision to allow Balogun to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium. Ultimately, the United States fell 4-1 to Belgium in that match, ending their run at the World Cup.
The way the team lost definitely stung and left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans across the country. But, it’s important to look back and see the journey and see the positive aspects of things. There’s still progress yet to be made, but Lloyd reiterated that the USMNT’s run can still be called a success story while acknowledging the next phase of building upon that success.
