USMNT outclassed by Belgium as World Cup run comes to crashing end
SEATTLE — Walking around Monday afternoon, it felt like a holiday. The whole city of Seattle seemed to be on pause, everyone was wearing gear, nobody was at work.
Read more Alexi Lalas, Carli Lloyd rip USMNT following ‘disappointing’ World Cup exit
It felt like the sort of grand occasion the sport of soccer has never been able to wring out of America had finally arrived.
And then that occasion swallowed the U.S. men’s national team whole.
After captivating the country for the better part of a month, the Americans crashed out of the World Cup on Monday night, losing to Belgium 4-1 to fall at the same Round of 16 hurdle that it hasn’t gotten past since 2002.
“It was unlike any of the other performances we’ve had this summer, to be honest,” Jedi Robinson said. “… We didn’t win any individual duels, really. We looked like we lacked energy. Didn’t flow as we have been. Just disappointing to lose a game not in the manner of how we represented ourselves the rest of the tournament.”
This team — so clearly the most talented the U.S. has ever had, coached by a giant of the sport in Mauricio Pochettino — couldn’t get any further than its predecessors.
“We don’t need to find another excuse,” Pochettino said. “I think we were not good enough. It wasn’t our day.”
Folarin Balogun, whose red card suspension was shockingly suspended Sunday, engulfing the World Cup in controversy, couldn’t save the USMNT. Nothing could.
“Was anyone a major presence on the field today?” Tyler Adams asked, rhetorically. Not at all.
Not when it looked so nervous, so shaky, so ill-prepared for such a big moment. Not when Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman couldn’t seem to come up with a clean touch, and not when their teammates weren’t much better.
The Americans were beyond lucky to enter halftime down just 2-1, having been thoroughly outclassed through the first 45 minutes. They failed to take advantage.
Though the introduction of Gio Reyna for Dest at halftime seemed to briefly settle the USMNT, it didn’t last. Matt Freese had a shocking moment after 57 minutes, taking an extra touch on the ball outside of the area only for Charles De Ketelaere to take the ball off him. He gave it to Hans Vanaken who promptly skipped the ball past Tim Ream and into the back of the net.
Christian Pulisic, who exited after twisting his knee and ankle in the 58th minute, was left to lament an injury-marred World Cup that, after an electric first 45 minutes against Paraguay, never regained momentum.
“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. “So I’m disappointed with myself of course.”
The USMNT’s lack of depth — quietly a major weakness throughout the tournament — was exposed as soon as Pochettino had to change the shape of the game. Reyna, Sebastian Berhalter and Ricardo Pepi came on; none made a major impact. Pochettino didn’t use his two remaining subs, a concession unto itself about the lack of depth on his squad.
Read more Belgium trolls US with savage two-word message after World Cup knockout
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The mere fact of Balogun’s inclusion will mean that outside the U.S., their loss will be seen as karmic justice. Even worse is that Balogun had no discernible impact on the game, though that was in part because the service to him was so poor.
Earlier in the game, things threatened to get out of hand quickly. Freese was forced into a diving save just 45 seconds into the match, and the U.S. didn’t get better from there. It took just nine minutes for De Ketelaere to put Belgium into the lead after Freeman’s clearing header went nowhere. Dest failed to stop Nicholas Raskin from winning the ball back and the midfielder played it across to De Ketalaere.
Malik Tillman’s free kick goal after 31 minutes was the USMNT’s first shot of the game, and seemed a lifeline.
It took all of 61 seconds for the USMNT to make a mess of it, as De Ketalaere rose above Tim Ream and Robinson to head in Leandro Trossard’s cross for a 2-1 Belgium lead 33 minutes in.
After the way the USMNT played for their first four games of this tournament, looking so confident and so ready for their moment in the spotlight, this was a shocking failure.
“Belgium deserved to win the game,” Adams said. “Clearly.”
Successful as their campaign had been until now, it’s hard to shake the feeling that none of it matters now.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is over, and for all the potential they showed, the U.S. couldn’t take advantage.
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