SEATTLE — For the fourth straight World Cup, the US men’s national team is going home after the Round of 16. But this one stung differently. Monday night’s 4-1 loss to Belgium wasn’t just a defeat. It was a no-show on the biggest stage.
This was a US team that had won three group stage matches for the first time ever, that had filled downtown Seattle with thousands of red-white-and-blue fans hours before kickoff, that seemed to have momentum and home soil on its side. Then the whistle blew and none of that mattered.
Belgium, ranked No. 9 in the world, carved them open. The US looked slow, disconnected, a shell of the team that had rolled through the group stage. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Today we didn’t show our real quality,” Pochettino said. “Never we were connected with the demands of the game. A very bad day. Wasn’t our day, in a collective and individual way. In a tournament like the World Cup, when that happens, you have not another chance. You have no net.”
The pain was especially raw for the guys who were in Qatar in 2022, when the US also fell in the Round of 16, losing to the Netherlands. Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said this one felt worse, partly because of the belief this team had built.
“We felt that we had a good mix of being talented, more together, experience, so it feels worse going out the way we did, especially on home soil,” Roldan said. “But I think that we captivated America. We captivated the world in the way we played. We hope that people change their perspective on the US.”
There is a weird tension in the locker room, between the bitterness of another early exit and the pride of what this run meant. Columbus Crew wingback Max Arfsten pointed to the progress the program has made.
“USA soccer has made progress, 1,000%,” Arfsten said. “I believe we should be proud of how we performed in the games leading up to this, and just the emotion that we felt from our fans. How special it is to play this tournament in the USA.”
The big question: Does Pochettino stay or go?
Pochettino reportedly has a contract offer from U.S. Soccer to lead the team into the next World Cup cycle. But he also has a track record with top European clubs — Tottenham, PSG, Southampton — and it’s no secret that teams have already reached out. Monday night he wasn’t ready to commit either way.
“I think now is about to rest a little bit, to think, to have conversations, and then see what the decision is from the federation and from us,” Pochettino said. “I am so happy. We build a very good relationship. But now is not a moment to talk about that.”
His players made their feelings pretty clear. Gio Reyna said the team would all love to have him back.
“He was fully present at all times, was there at training sessions, in the hotel, a joy to be around,” Reyna said. “He definitely brought so many positives to the team. I think we all can’t thank him enough for the work he’s done.”
Pochettino took the job in late 2024 when the squad was in a rough patch, and he turned them into a group that could run with anyone for stretches. But the World Cup is unforgiving. Four years until the next one. And no guarantee that any of these players, or their coach, will get another chance like this.
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