Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened… right? Right?
Following a thorough thumping from Belgium on Monday, the U.S.’s World Cup dreams came to an end in the Round of 16. After a string of encouraging performances in the group stages, especially that convincing 4-1 win over Paraguay, hopes were that the U.S. Men’s National Team would advance to the quarter finals for the first time since 2002. Alas, first contact with quality opposition in this tournament and it all turned into something of a nightmare for USMNT, and the fans, new and old, have been left a little dumbstruck.
Firstly, there’s no shame in losing to Belgium, a side now-ranked 8th in FIFA’s Men’s World Ranking, with the U.S. in 16th place. Also, on comparitive squad value, Belgium’s 26 players are worth $626.18 million, according to Transfermarkt, with the U.S.’s players worth $441.07 million. Belgium’s squad also includes players like Thibaut Courtois, Leandro Trossard, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne who have won club soccer’s greatest prizes such as the Champions League and the Premier League, whereas the U.S.’s star player, Christian Pulisic, to be brutally honest, isn’t even among the top 100 world footballers, according to the latest Guardian survey of the best men’s players in the game (Belgium has three in the top 100).
So on balance, Belgium were favorites to win and go on to play Spain in the quarter finals. And that was before all the likely extra motivation that Trossard and co. had following the whole, frankly appalling Folarin Balogun affair (thanks Mr. President!).
Still after all the buildup, home field advantage and the tens of millions urging them on, this loss hurts bad and U.S. fans were shocked by how poorly their team played as the hype train crashed into reality. The reaction has been swift, as the vibes went from immaculate to rancid over the space of 90 minutes (plus stoppage time).
Of course rival fans and media from other countries were embracing the schadenfreude of the U.S.’s loss, a team that began the tournament with a fair amount of goodwill which was squandered in the last 48 hours by reports that Donald Trump put pressure on FIFA to rescind Balogun’s suspension. But the home reaction that was just as brutal as any foreign trolling.
On Fox, Carli Lloyd (two-time World Cup-winner and two-time Olympic champion) was particularly scathing (and honest!) about the USMNT, and Pulisic in particular. “It’s a bit of a downer for us being out here now after this loss, but I felt like they lost the game before they even stepped out onto the pitch,” said Lloyd. “I’m not sure why, and I don’t know the reasons, but just from the beginning, just chasing, tentative, scared, just not confident on the ball. And I think big-time players— you wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big moments.”
“I gotta be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic,” Lloyd added. “I think whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup.”
Also on Fox, the much-maligned Alexi Lalas similarly was not sparing in his criticism of the Americans. “There’s a part of me that says the time for moral victories is over,” Lalas said after the match. “We’ve left something on the table here, and that to me is disappointing. I also know that it’s going to be disappointing to the players and to Mauricio Pochettino when they look as this game. The goals that they gave up at times were self-inflicted against a better team, but this U.S. team has beaten better teams in the past.” Lalas added the team went out “with a whimper rather than a roar.”
The manner of defeat, and the way it has seemingly deflated the bubble of optimism among U.S. fans has Fox concerned, at least judging by the words of the commentators, who implored viewers to keep watching the World Cup despite the home teams dismal exit. “If you’ve enjoyed what you’re seeing, well, support your local team,” Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong told viewers. “This doesn’t have to be the last soccer you watch for the next four years. It’s a beautiful sport.”
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, a man who, as a Tottenham fan, should be used to heartbreak and failure after succumbing to huge hype, was also blunt in his assessment. “US Soccer is not ready for primetime,” Portnoy tweeted. “I dont wanna be mean but this team is embarrassing. We’re never gonna actually be good at this sport as long as [our] D tier athletes play it. What a clown show.”
Bill Simmons, another Tottenham fan who should really be more comfortable with his team being Spursy, was all doom and gloom during his post-match episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, that was streamed live on Netflix. “The one narrative I’m not going to accept is that like ‘ugh, we would have won if Trump hadn’t gotten Balogun back’… we sucked! That had nothing to do with anything. The team was terrible. That was the worse we played. Not only was it the worse we played at the tournament, but I’ve watched a ton of soccer [at the World Cup]… that is the worse anyone has played for about a week, when we’re talking about these final 32 games, final 16 games.”
Below is some more of the best social media reaction to the U.S.’s dismal exit from the 2026 World Cup.
https://twitter.com/ochocinco/status/2074310492600877479?s=20