The USMNT's 2026 World Cup is over after losing 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16. Team USA played five games in the 2026 World Cup, winning three games and losing two.
The USMNT once again gets eliminated in the Round of 16 of a World Cup. The match today was the worst performance out of all five games, and many fans were left disappointed after an exciting start to the competition.
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino was seen gathering his players in a huddle after the game, and the group seemed united despite the loss.
Photo by Sarah Stier - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
After the match, Pochettino gave his thoughts on the performance, and the head coach admitted to being surprised by how his team played after great results throughout the tournament.
Mauricio Pochettino on USA 1-4 Belgium
Mauricio Pochettino gives Belgium credit for their performance against his USMNT. Pochettino did not believe his team was in the game for most of it, even after equalizing.
The USMNT was level with Belgium for only 11 minutes throughout the match, as Belgium scored early in the game and retook the lead two minutes after a Malik Tillman equalizer from a direct free kick.
Pochettino said, "We didn't get into the game. Even when we scored the goal at 1-1, we conceded in the next action. It was very tough. Congratulations to Belgium, they were better than us. It's not to find excuses, we didn't show what we normally showed. That is the reality."
Pochettino mentioned that the game was not what his team did throughout the competition. Pochettino said, "We need to learn, it's a process to learn. We need to assess our game and see why we didn't approach the game the same way as rest of World Cup. Maybe the explanation is easy, it wasn't our day."
