The USMNT delivered its worst performance of the tournament as an inspired, dominant Belgium side routed the co-hosts 4-1 in Seattle.
The USMNT had a harsh drop back to reality as a dominant ride ended abruptly in a 4-1 lopsided loss to Belgium.
It was uninspired play totally lacking in communication for a team that looked like they were not at all ready for the moment.
That included star midfielder Christian Pulisic, who ended the tournament without a goal and just one assist, and with a twisted ankle and knee that saw him exit in the 59th minute following a collision with Belgium midfielder Youri Tieleman.
From the first to the last whistle, the game didn’t feel at all close. Belgium came out ready to play and were the better team.
The aggressiveness and physicality that saw Team USA fly through the group stages and the round of 32 came to a deafening halt.
Belgium dictated the tone and were outright dominant in the box while the USMNT looked unsure of themselves with tepid passes and a seeming unwillingness to pass across the middle of the field.
To read more about Belgium’s dominant victory that sends the host team home, here is the full story from Football Roundtable writer Mason Way.
It made the eligibility controversy that dominated headlines felt like a speck in the wind as Folarin Balogun was totally kept in check by the Belgians.
It certainly brought up questions about how the team handled outside noise that seemed to clearly give Belgium an outright boost.
U.S. captain Tim Ream claimed they weren’t affected by it, but is that almost worse?
The team looked overwhelmed and uninspired, and there’s question of what will finally elevate this squad past the round of 16. It’ll just take four years to find out.
