Mauricio Pochettino might have saved U.S. fans from a full-blown panic attack Monday night. After the USMNT’s 4-1 loss to Belgium knocked them out of the World Cup in the Round of 16, the manager offered some genuine good news: Christian Pulisic’s ankle injury probably isn’t that serious.
Pulisic spent the first half getting mauled by the Belgian defense — 11 times he was hit, according to the match stats. That’s brutal even by World Cup standards. He managed to stay on the pitch until the 65th minute before limping off with what looked like a bad ankle twist. Given the scoreline and the stakes, it was a rough way to end what had been a promising tournament for the U.S. attack.
Pochettino spoke after the match and told reporters, including Tom Bogert, that he believes Pulisic simply twisted his ankle. The manager said he’s hopeful it’s nothing serious and that the winger should be able to rejoin AC Milan ahead of the 2026-27 season without missing significant time. The club hasn’t issued its own update yet, but for now the early read is cautiously optimistic.
The loss itself stings in a different way. The U.S. came into this tournament with legitimate expectations. They had talent, they had momentum from group play, and they had a manager who knows how to win big games. Instead, they’re heading home after another Round of 16 exit — this one capped by a four-goal beatdown that exposed real gaps in the roster.
What went wrong and what comes next for the USMNT
The U.S. finished the tournament with three wins and two losses. They scored 11 goals and allowed eight. The wins came against Paraguay (4-1), Australia (2-0), and Bosnia (2-0). But they also dropped games to Turkiye (3-2) and Belgium (4-1), and the Belgium loss was the one that mattered most.
Folarin Balogun was the bright spot. The striker scored three goals in his first World Cup, establishing himself as the clear go-to option up front. Malik Tillman chipped in two goals, and Giovanni Reyna and Auston Trusty each scored once. That’s decent output, but against Belgium the offense went quiet when it mattered most.
The bigger question now is what the program does next. The 2030 World Cup qualifying cycle is coming, and that tournament will be split across Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay for the 100th anniversary. That’s a long way off, but it means the USMNT has time to reshape the roster. They’ll need to. The current group has talent but lacks the kind of depth and defensive organization you need to hang with top-tier teams in knockout rounds.
Balogun’s emergence gives them a real focal point. The rest of the puzzle — developing younger defenders, finding reliable midfield depth, figuring out how to protect the ball against elite pressure — is going to take work. Pochettino will have to decide whether the current approach is working or whether he needs to make bigger structural changes.
For now, the immediate takeaway is that Pulisic is probably fine, Milan fans can breathe, and the U.S. has some honest conversations ahead of them before the next cycle starts.
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