Four years of buildup. A coach with a reputation. And then, in one night, it was over. Belgium bounced the USMNT out of the 2026 World Cup with a 4-1 win that exposed just how far off the team’s best performance really was from its worst. Critics called it the worst showing in program history, including Alexi Lalas, who didn’t hold back.
After the match, Tyler Adams sat down with Fox Sports and opened up about what head coach Mauricio Pochettino told the group in the locker room.
“Tonight can’t be a direct reflection of what we were trying to accomplish,” Adams told reporter Jenny Taft. “Because again, you have good days and you have bad days, and today was one of our bad days, and it got the best of us.”
Adams, who plays club ball for Bournemouth in the Premier League, said the team came in believing they could make a deep run. That didn’t happen. But he also pointed to something bigger.
“I think we came out here with the ambition that we could go really far in this tournament. We didn’t obviously go as far as we’d like. That being said, if we inspire just a few kids throughout this journey, we did something right,” Adams said.
He thanked the fans, the coaching staff and the support crew. “I wish we could have won tonight. The fans deserved it. The support we have had over the past few weeks. They deserve it. The people back home deserve it. I can’t thank the fans enough.”
Pochettino’s future after the early exit
The USMNT hired Pochettino in 2024, hoping his pedigree could push a young squad past the round of 16 for the first time in the modern era. That didn’t happen either. When asked about his future after the game, Pochettino deflected.
“Now is not a moment to talk about that,” he told reporters, per ESPN’s Sam Borden. “I think now is a moment to see, to assess the tournament. You know, I’m sure in the next weeks we can start to talk if (U.S. Soccer) wants to talk.”
Adams, who captained the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup at just 22, will turn 27 before the next cycle. He’s likely to be part of the 2030 tournament in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, assuming his body holds up. The rest of the core is still young too, and more talent is rising through the ranks.
Whether Pochettino sticks around or not, this team’s window isn’t shut. But nights like this one make you wonder how much time they really have left to figure it out.
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