​SEATTLE (AP) — Images captured the United States’ World Cup setback in painful detail. Christian Pulisic lay on the turf in agony after injuring his ankle. Matt Freese clutched his head after a costly mistake that gifted Belgium a goal. Chris Richards collapsed to the grass, his face pressed into the turf. Mauricio Pochettino’s frustration boiled over as he kicked a rack in front of the American bench, sending four water bottles flying. The U.S.’s bid for a deep home World Cup run ended with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, as Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and assisted on another goal to expose the Americans’ defensive lapses and earn a quarterfinal berth.
“It stinks,” Tyler Adams said. “This was our moment to have a chance to do something special. We fell short.” Balancing the on-field drama, the U.S. was buoyed by star forward Folarin Balogun’s presence, although FIFA controversially lifted his one-game red-card suspension. The defense faltered on two first-half goals, and Freese’s error allowed Belgium a third early in the second half. Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time goal after Richards’ giveaway, a late seal on a day that marked the Americans’ most goals conceded in a World Cup game since their 5-1 loss to Czechoslovakia in the 1990 opener, when they returned to the global stage after a 40-year absence.
“A very bad day,” said Pochettino, the U.S. coach. “It’s not like you are in a rocket and you improve and you grow. It’s not linear.”
The loss proved a painful reckoning for a team that had hoped to boost the sport in the United States but has struggled to shed two decades of stagnation since Landon Donovan led the Americans to the 2002 quarterfinals. “Everyone was nerves-wracked, because we knew how much this meant for the whole country, not just our team,” said 21-year-old defender Alex Freeman, the youngest U.S. player.
Belgium eliminated the U.S. in the round of 16 for the second time in 12 years and extended its unbeaten streak to 18 games. The Red Devils will face 2010 champion Spain on Friday in Inglewood, California, for a semifinal berth against France or Morocco, with captain Youri Tielemans insisting, “We showed that we’re ready and we want to perform.”
All six CONCACAF nations have exited the tournament, including the three co-hosts who fell in the round of 16. Malik Tillman had leveled the score at 1-1 early in the first half, becoming the first player since France’s Bernard Genghini in 1982 to score two free-kick goals in a World Cup, only for the Americans to concede again just 61 seconds after the ensuing kickoff.
Christian Pulisic, meanwhile, could only watch the ending from the bench after injuring his right ankle when his shot deflected off Tielemans’ boot in the 52nd minute, a moment that cast a long shadow over the result.