The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team has been eliminated from World Cup competition in a tough 4-1 loss Monday evening to Belgium within the Round of 16 of the worldwide soccer tournament.
Belgium defeated the U.S. in a match held before a capability crowd at Seattle Stadium. The sport is predicted to deliver NFL-level rankings as viewership within the U.S. as viewership of the World Cup tournament has steadily increased for Fox Sports and Telemundo/Peacock. The 39-day competition began June 11 and is about to conclude on July 19.
The U.S. Men’s team had been hoping to advance into the World Cup quarterfinals for the primary time since 2002. The team’s July 1 victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina helped generate buzz for the tournament and drive interest amongst U.S. viewers because the tournament unfolds across 11 U.S. cities plus venues in Canada and Mexico.
The U.S. Men’s team had high hopes for making big strides on behalf of the lads’s game. U.S. women have claimed Women’s World Cup victories 4 times, in 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019.
Commentators were quick to praise the usMen’s team for capturing the general public’s imagination and fielding stars including Malik Tillman, who scored Team USA’s only goal of the sport, in addition to Folarin Balogun, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams, amongst others.
Mauricio Pochettino, coach of the of U.S. team, was blunt in his post-game interview with Fox Sports. He said the team that played Monday night didn’t show the identical skill and coordination that allowed them advance past the Group Stage rounds last month. Belgium jumped out with an early lead and retained the momentum through the remainder of the match.
“It’s not to seek out excuses or an argument. We didn’t show up just like the team that had showed up [earlier in the tournament]. That may be a reality,” Pochettino told Fox Sports. “We want to evaluate the sport and why we didn’t approach this game the identical way.” He added that ultimately he’s “the person responsible.”
Fox Sports commentator Carli Lloyd, a member of Women’s World Cup winning teams and a retired pro soccer player, echoed the coach’s sentiments in regards to the team’s struggle on Monday.
“They lost the sport before they even stepped out on to the pitch, and I’m unsure why,” Lloyd said. “This can be a real disappointing loss to exit on.”
(Pictured: Youri Tielemans of Belgium and U.S. player Malik Tillman, who scored the sport’s only goal for Team USA)