SEATTLE — The U.S.men’s soccer team entered the World Cup’s round of 16 looking as though it had an edge on the rest of the soccer world.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It ended Monday with another reminder it still is playing catch-up against the world’s elite teams.For more than 24 hours before the U.S.
kicked off against Belgium inside a sold-out Seattle Stadium, other nations had decried the appearance of an off-field advantage handed to the U.S.by FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee, when on Sunday it suspended U.S.
goal-scorer’s Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban, making him eligible to play.The decision drew the team into a geopolitical storm after both FIFA president Gianni Infantino and President Trump acknowledged that Trump had called soccer’s global leader to inquire about the red card Balogun had been given July 1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina.Yet once Monday’s game at last kicked off, all U.S.
influence waned during a 4-1 loss.Balogun went from main character to non-factor as a World Cup run that was at times galvanizing and inspiring ended in a familiar place — short of true contention.“Today, we were not the same team in the tournament that showed our quality,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said.Mauricio Pochettino Manager and Head Coach of USA consoles a dejected Chris Richards of USA after being knocked out during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 16 match between USA and Belgium at Seattle Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Seattle, Wash.
Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA via Getty ImagesIn Seattle, Belgium was technically sharper from the start, its passes crisper, its defense a wall where the U.S.’s was constantly undermined by its own mistakes.Belgium made the U.S.
look more disheveled than it had at any point in the tournament, with multiple errors and questionable decisions leading to Belgian goals.Why had the U.S.come out flat?“It’s a great question,” defen...