Even though it was tied, 1-1, after Malik Tillman scored another goal on a free kick just outside the penalty area, it never felt close.
Belgium beat the U.S. in the Round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup on Monday night, 4-1, ending the dream of winning the tournament on American soil.
The excitement from the equalizer evaporated a minute later, when Charles De Ketelaere scored his second goal of the first half for Belgium.
Throughout the night, the U.S. team seemed flat, lifeless. Low energy, as some would say. Chances started to materialize, inevitable close calls happened, but nothing made it into the goal.
And an awkward play by U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese early in the second half resulted in Belgium’s third goal. After that, even though there was plenty of time to play, it felt like it was over.
After it ended, the Belgian team’s social media account had a message to the U.S. on Twitter: “Overturn this.”
Some will dance around it. I’ll say it. The intervention of the president in the suspension of U.S. striker Flo Balogun’s suspension for the game killed the vibe. It removed the justifiable chip on the U.S. team’s shoulder arising from an unwarranted red card on Balogun and shifted it to Belgium’s squad. The Belgian players had something extra. The U.S. team simply couldn’t match it.
Would it have been any different if the Commander-in-Chief hadn’t tried to twist the arm of FIFA president Gianni Infantino? There’s no way to know. But it couldn’t have been any worse than it was tonight for the U.S. team.
And so the man who would have claimed full credit if the U.S. had won deserves at least some of the blame for the loss. He lit a fire for the Belgian team that it otherwise wouldn’t have had.
There’s no way to prove it objectively. But if you followed the story and watched all of the game, it’s a conclusion that is hard not to reach.
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