For the fourth time in the past five World Cups, the U.S. men’s national team met its end in the round of 16, this time with a 4-1 loss Monday to Belgium at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field).
Belgium took a 1-0 lead thanks to Charles De Ketelaere scoring in the ninth minute, an ominous sign for the Americans. The U.S. entered Monday with a 0-0-7 record in World Cup knockout games after giving up the first goal.
Although Malik Tillman’s free kick tied the score in the 31st minute, De Ketelaere struck again just 52 seconds later for a 2-1 lead. Belgium took a 3-1 lead because of goalkeeper Matt Freese’s second-half miscue in the 57th minute, and Romelu Lukaku capped the scoring in the 93rd minute.
Here’s a look at how it all went wrong in the USMNT’s final match of the 2026 World Cup.
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Manager rating (out of 10)
Mauricio Pochettino, 5—Belgium taking six shots in the first 11 minutes was a sign that the U.S. would be forced to defend quite a bit. The Americans also struggled at times to control possession. At halftime, Pochettino brought on Gio Reyna, hoping it would lead to a spark. The U.S. tried to find an equalizer, but Freese’s mistake in the second half made it more challenging.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
— His decisions came under question early and often. It started when he misread a sequence during the Belgians’ first goal by De Ketelaere. It proved costly again when De Ketelaere scored his second goal on a header that caught Freese out of position. Then, he committed his blunder in the second half, when he tried to play the ball outside his area, but it deflected off De Ketelaere to Hans Vanaken, who scored the fatal goal.
— Both of the Red Devils’ goals in the first half came on the right side. Freeman got in front of the initial ball before the Belgians recovered a deflection for their first goal. On Belgium’s second goal, Freeman came over a bit too late to help Sergiño Dest just as Leandro Trossard’s cross set up De Ketelaere’s second salvo. Freeman failed to capitalize on an excellent cross from Tyler Adams.
— Richards was one of several U.S. players either caught watching or out of position on Belgium’s first goal. He also struggled to fend off Lukaku, who took advantage of a misplayed ball for a 4-1 lead.
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— He was the last defender who was in front of De Ketelaere before the Atalanta forward scored his first goal. Ream was in the same position when De Ketelaere used his 6-foot-4 frame to rise for the header that gave the Belgians a 2-1 advantage.
— Robinson arguably could have done more to stop or at least make it more difficult for De Ketelaere to score the first goal. He had moments when he contributed to the U.S. trying to sustain an attack but didn’t make enough of an impact to help the Americans threaten down the left side.
— Per usual, McKennie was present in different places on the pitch for the U.S. The difference between his previous performance and his latest effort was that he didn’t have many moments when he played passes that either set up an attack or made him the primary facilitator.
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— Belgium had those early sequences in the middle of the pitch when it got beyond Adams and posed a threat to the back line. Adams eventually recovered and forced the Belgians into attacking out wide while he also sought to retain the ball as the U.S. struggled for possession in the match.
— His exit to start the second half was more of a tactical decision to get back into the match. But Dest’s outing was still challenging. He was in position for a potential clearance but was beaten to the ball, leading to De Ketelaere’s first goal. And though Dest was marking Trossard while receiving late help from Freeman, the delivery still reached the box to put Belgium up 2-1.
— The free kick that deflected off Vanaken and beyond Thibaut Courtois led to the belief that the U.S. was about to change its fortunes. But De Ketelaere quickly scored to restore Belgium’s lead. Tillman’s contributions early in the second half aided an attack that tried to generate whatever it could to tie the score before Freese’s costly error.
— Belgium keeping possession for the majority of the first half meant that Pulisic was part of the press that sought to force some confusion at the back. His strongest moments came during an early push in the second half before an apparent injury led to him being subbed out. His first half, however, was rough: Pulisic’s 11 possessions lost were the most of any player on the field.
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— Goals are how strikers are judged. And when they don’t score, they are assessed on what they did in other areas. Balogun kept getting into positions to take shots that were deflected or at least were from a threatening spot, such as his shot in the 81st minute that was stopped by Courtois.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
— Reyna was part of an early push in the second half that took a hit when Belgium capitalized on Freese’s error for a 3-1 lead.
He provided that box-to-box element that nearly paid off with a long-range goal in the 79th minute, arguably the most dangerous chance the U.S. mustered in the second half.
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The PSV Eindhoven striker was called in to add another player in attack.
He was part of the group that finished the game in stoppage time.
He also came on late in a match that was already decided.
