What USA TODAY experts had to say about the USMNT&x27;s 2026 World Cup exit Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAYWed, July 8, 2026 at 3:12 AM UTC 0 The United States&x27; journey in the 2026 World Cup ended when Belgium knocked them out with a 41 win in the round of 16. After winning their group for the first time since 2010, the USMNT went on to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 20 in the round of 32. It was their first knockout win since 2002.
What USA TODAY experts had to say about the USMNT's 2026 World Cup exit
Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAYWed, July 8, 2026 at 3:12 AM UTC
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The United States' journey in the 2026 World Cup ended when Belgium knocked them out with a 4-1 win in the round of 16.
After winning their group for the first time since 2010, the USMNT went on to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32. It was their first knockout win since 2002.
USA TODAY's experts analyzed the match and the team's performance at the tournament on an episode of USA TODAY Sports' "Sports Seriously" soccer podcast published after the loss.
"Disappointing, heartbroken for the guys," former USWNT player Lori Lindsey said, "and hats off to all of them because it's been an excellent tournament, I would say, one hundred percent up until this game."
One of the key factors heading into the matchup was Folarin Balogun's red card. He was in the starting lineup against Belgium after the controversial red card was rescinded by FIFA. He was booked for the penalty in the USMNT's round of 32 win. The penalty for a red card is that the player is ejected from the match and then suspended from the team's next match. The decision to overturn the red card was met with fierce criticism.
"One of the things about this team has been so impressive is it seems to be their togetherness, unity, blocking outside noise coming into this," Lindsey commented, noting how hard it would be to handle the news that Balogun was not playing and then was playing within 24 hours. "... That's a huge energy shift regardless of the mentality and what this team has been able to do up until this point whether we kind of want to admit that or not. And I'm not saying that that played the biggest part in this game, but I certainly think it had a part."
Once the round of 16 matchup kicked off, Belgium overwhelmed the United States. The Red Devils' best finish at a World Cup was in 2018 when they finished third. The USMNT didn't even qualify for that tournament.
"Overall a game that had ebbs and flows," USA TODAY's national soccer writer Jon Arnold said, "but it seemed like the U.S. wasn't able to dig themselves out of the ebbs and every time they did, Belgium had an answer."
Lindsey said that Belgium's 3-2 extra time win over Senegal in the round of 32 served as the wake-up call for the European side. They were fired up to prove they were better than they've been showing in the tournament, including two draws in group play.
Against the U.S., Romelu Lukaku, the Red Devils' all-time leading scorer, came off the bench to score the last goal and put the exclamation point on the victory.
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"It just felt like a matter of time unfortunately for Lukaku," Lindsey said, "because we know he scores goals when a team's defeated and down."
The game was a rematch of the 2014 World Cup round of 16 where Belgium beat the United States 2-1.
You can watch the full episode of "Sports Seriously" above or on USA TODAY Sports' YouTube page and wherever you listen to podcasts (search: Sports Seriously).
USA TODAY experts analyze USMNT's 2026 World Cup run
The two analysts also reflected on what this World Cup means as a whole for the United States. There was extra pressure on them as one of three host countries for the tournament.
"I think it's going to be very difficult not to look back at this as a lateral step," Arnold reflected. "It kind of feels like this is the same World Cup the U.S. men have always had. Because they've legitimately been knocked out by Belgium before in this round. They get to this round in 2022 and don't get past it. Yes, the World Cup is expanded, yes, they get the first knockout win since 2002.
"But overall, I also think it would have been such a big moment to say, 'Ah, look at this linear progress. Look at this line going up' had the U.S. been able to get this victory. And instead, it's a score line and I would say a performance that says, 'You're not there yet.' Kind of a slap down from a team in the European elite."
Lindsey had a bit more positive outlook of the United States' performance overall and what the competition meant for the sport in the country. FOX reported that 30 million people tuned in to their English broadcast of the loss to Belgium, a record for the most-watched telecast of a soccer match in U.S. history.
"The fact that this was on home soil, there's so many eyeballs, this is disappointing," she said, "so I think that's what lingers in people's mind and that's the tough part to kind of overcome or reconcile sometimes. But the body of work that they have done and how they have captivated new eyeballs, excitement around this team, the amount of viewers that have shown up to watch these games, I think cannot be overstated, either."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT knocked out of World Cup by Belgium analyzed by USA TODAY
Source: "AOL Sports"
Source: Sports
Published: July 7, 2026 at 11:27PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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