The run is over.
The U.S. men’s national team’s home World Cup campaign came to an end on Monday after a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in one of the worst performances in the program’s recent history. From an early concession to allowing a second goal immediately after equalizing to an error from Matt Freese in goal – or, rather, not in goal – that resulted in Belgium’s third to another injury for Christian Pulisic, it was a disastrous showing in front of the nation in primetime.
Over the coming weeks, Backheeled will examine what went right – and wrong – for the United States at the tournament and discuss what comes next for the team and its most crucial characters.
But for now? Our writers are answering the biggest questions about the USMNT’s exit.
Did the USMNT meet expectations, exceed them, or fall short?
Joe Lowery: Met them.
We’ve seen this story before, haven’t we? The U.S. beat the teams they should beat at this World Cup – Paraguay, Australia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina – and progressed to the Round of 16, where they were defeated by a quality European team. It’s now happened in three-straight World Cups for the United States: 2014 against Belgium, 2022 against the Netherlands, and now this tournament on home soil to Belgium once again. You’ll be forgiven for experiencing some déjà vu right now, but the apparent reality is clear: the USMNT is still fighting to become a tier-two men’s national team.
