1 of 5 | Forward/midfielder Christian Pulisic failed to score for the United States at the 2026 World Cup. File Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
United States players were perplexed by their poor play in a loss to Belgium, but believe they maintain potential to advance deeper in future World Cups.
“We need to get over that next hurdle, trying to compete and beat the world’s best,” forward Christian Pulisic said on the Fox broadcast after Monday’s 4-1 setback in Seattle.
“That’s the next step for us. It wasn’t quite there [Monday], but I think we showed a lot of good things — that we have potential to do it. But there is still another step that we have to take.”
With Monday’s trashing in the Round of 16, the Americans extended their winless streak against Top 10 teams to 17 consecutive games. Their last triumph against such a foe came through a 2-1 friendly win over Germany in 2015. They haven’t beaten Belgium in nearly 100 years, with that victory coming at first World Cup in 1930.
Despite their history of mediocrity and struggles against elite foes, the Americans gave fans hope at the 2026 tournament. Their three wins and 11 goals set records for the highest American totals in World Cup history.
They also performed well through their first four World Cup games under coach Mauricio Pochettino, who showcased a playing style that leaned away from the Americans’ previously conservative approach and into creative playmakers to put pressure on opponents.
But the Belgians made the Americans look overmatched in Monday’s opening minutes and never allowed the World Cup hosts to find rhythm to fuel a previously potent attack.
“It’s a great question, I wish I had the answer right now,” midfielder Tyler Adams told reporters when asked why the Americans started out flat versus Belgium. “I think overall it was the small things.”
Adams pointed to “little gaps being exploited” by Belgium, who scored three of its four goals off brutal American turnovers.
“Belgium deserved to win the game, clearly,” Adams said. “But I don’t think it was the opponent, the speed of the game, the moment, I don’t think any of that. I think it’s just small details of the game that got away from us.”
Pochettino, Adams, defender Tim Ream and other players said they didn’t believe the Folarin Balogun saga served as a distraction for the United States. Adams said he wasn’t even aware that President Donald Trump and U.S. officials were working to appeal the one-game ban Balogun received for his red card in the Round of 32.
Balogun, who was cleared to play less than 24 hours before kickoff, irking the Belgians, UEFA and others in the World Cup field, logged a team-high three shots against Belgium. He registered 21 touches, his fewest at the 2026 World Cup, outside of his red card-shortened stint against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pulisic’s 36 touches against Belgium also were his fewest at the tournament. His World Cup run ended with a sprained ankle.
The Belgians held a 15-7 shooting advantage, while the Americans led in possession, but often came up empty when they advanced into enemy territory.
Ream said the start of the Round of 16 match “didn’t feel any different” that previous 2026 World Cup games and couldn’t explain the poor performance
“There was no pressure, no moment, it didn’t feel any different,” Ream said. “There was no extra weight or anything like that. There are so many thoughts and emotions running through me at the minute. I’m not even thinking tactically or what could’ve been different or what should we have done different.
“It’s one of those you probably won’t be able to personally think about for a few days until you really sit back and allow the emotions to subside.”
Despite some believing in the Americans’ progress at the World Cup level, Adams said he felt “exactly the same” as he felt when they lost to the Netherlands in the Round of 16 at the 2022 tournament.
Monday’s loss resulted in the No. 16 Americans’ fourth consecutive Round of 16 exit. They’ve only advanced past that stage once in 96 years.
“It feels exactly the same, when you get knocked out of a tournament,” Adams said. “It doesn’t feel great. You start to think about what you could have done better. But that’s the environment of elite performance.
If no one ever lost, there probably wouldn’t be any progress. That’s for the best players in the world. You put yourself in those situations to try and break through. At this moment, yeah, it sucks.”
The No. 8 Belgians will meet the No. 3 Spaniards in a quarterfinal at 3 p.m. EDT Friday in Inglewood, Calif. The winner will advance to a July 14 semifinal showdown with top-ranked France or No. 6 Morocco.
No. 2 Argentina, the defending champion, will play No. 24 Egypt in another Round of 16 match at noon Tuesday in Atlanta. No. 11 Colombia will meet No. 15 Switzerland at 4 p.m. in Vancouver. The winners from those matches will face off in a quarterfinal Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
The winner of that quarterfinal will take on No. 19 Norway or No. 4 England in a July 15 semifinal.
Fans go all out in support at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Fans celebrate the first United States goal as the United States faces Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the FIFA Fan Zone area located on the National Mall in Washington on July 6, 2026. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
