National Writer: Charles Boehm<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n SEATTLE \u2013 Perhaps there\u2019s a way to exit a FIFA World Cup<\/a> that isn\u2019t agonizing. But the US men\u2019s national team<\/a> have yet to discover it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Yanks\u2019 2026 dream came crashing to an end against Belgium on Monday evening, a gutting low at the opposite extreme of the spectrum from the euphoric highs of inspiring a nation with their program-record three victories to reach this point.<\/p>\n Perhaps what stings most about the 4-1 defeat<\/a>: They were a shadow of their best selves in this massive Round of 16 showdown against the No. 9-ranked side on the planet.<\/p>\n \u201cToday we didn\u2019t show our real quality,\u201d said head coach Mauricio Pochettino. \u201cNever were we connected with the demands of the game. I want to congratulate Belgium, because they were good \u2013 like I told before, it\u2019s a very good team. But I think we were not on our level.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true that today we were not the same team that during the tournament showed their quality. A very bad day. Wasn\u2019t our day, in a collective and individual way. We need to accept that sometimes things like this happen, but in a tournament like the World Cup, when that happens, you have not another chance \u2013 you have no net.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n You believed. You filled stadiums. You brought the game into homes and communities across the country.<\/p>\n Most of all, you showed everyone what this crest means. Thank you. pic.twitter.com\/4lKfYb5mNB<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n For the half of the 26-man squad<\/a> that was involved during their 2022 run in Qatar, which ended at the same juncture with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands, there was painful familiarity, even as they carried the warmth of a summer romance with a growing fan base, many thousands of whom filled the streets of downtown Seattle hours before kickoff for this occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels worse. Definitely feels worse than the last World Cup,\u201d said Sounders FC<\/a>\u2019s Cristian Roldan<\/a> in the postgame mixed zone. \u201cBecause 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think that we captivated America. I think we captivated the world in the way we played, and we hope that people change their perspective on the US.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Mauricio Pochettino talks to his US team after the match pic.twitter.com\/ZBU2xQqCl7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n There\u2019s bitter disappointment at failing to surpass the Round of 16 exit that has befallen the USMNT in their last four World Cup campaigns. But also pride in new facets they displayed to their supporters across the country, and the wider world beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cI truly believe it was a special tournament, amazing experience for all the players involved,\u201d said Columbus Crew<\/a> wingback Max Arfsten<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cUSA soccer has made progress, 1,000%. I think, although we want more tonight, and this is the game we wanted to win, I believe that 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, and how special it is to play this tournament in the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n World Cup heartbreak always hits harder because there\u2019s no \u2018next year,\u2019 at least not in the manner of a club setting. The 48 months until the next tournament can feel like a lifetime, and even the youngest, most talented players can\u2019t be certain they\u2019ll get the same chance in the next cycle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The USMNT has lost five of six games in the World Cup round of 16.<\/p>\n 2026 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 L 4-1 to Belgium \u2014 Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Life will eventually go on for the USMNT, with Concacaf qualifying for the 2030 World Cup off in the distance. But the first question is whether Pochettino will return to the helm.<\/p>\n The Argentine has reportedly already been offered a new contract to lead the Yanks into the next cycle with U.S. Soccer, though on Monday he wasn\u2019t ready to delve too far into that topic.<\/p>\n \u201cI think now, because we were talking with the federation, 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,\u201d said \u2018Poch\u2019 of his future. \u201cBut I am so happy; I think we build a very good relationship, but now is not a moment to talk about that \u2026 to see, to assess the tournament, and for sure in the next weeks we can start to talk, if the federation wants to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n With his extensive track record of success with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Paris Saint-Germain, the charismatic manager is likely to be courted by top European clubs, and indeed is said to have already fielded such inquiries.<\/p>\n Pochettino seems to have found something different and captivating in his first national-team job, though, and pronounced himself content with the scale of the turnaround he and his staff made in a squad that hit the doldrums before he arrived in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cWith good things and not so good things, it was amazing, the journey,\u201d Pochettino said. \u201cWe all know that a process is about four years, a cycle, because I think today we close the chapter about to assess players, playing [against] that competition that is so difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we have a complete assessment from a lot of players, and if we commit to be here in the future, I think we have a clear idea about our decisions of the future. That before was very difficult, because we didn\u2019t have official games, mindset \u2013 all the circumstances that you know was so difficult to manage and to deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Thank you for all the memories this FIFA World Cup, @USMNT<\/a> \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/iXFvVOZKwj<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Familiar heartbreak<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Memorable run<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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2022 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 L 3-1 to Netherlands
2014 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 L 2-1 to Belgium
2010 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 L 2-1 to Ghana
2002 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 W 2-0 vs Mexico
1994 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 L 1-0 to Brazil<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPochettino’s uncertain future<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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