The U.S. men’s national team had titanic hopes for the 2026 World Cup on home soil but crashed out in uninspiring fashion with a 4–1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.
The tournament run still had great elements of success that can provide lessons for the future, even if the final day couldn’t have gone any worse for U.S. Soccer, on or off the pitch. The embarrassing loss was preceded by the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s status and the involvement of FIFA, the White House and President Donald Trump. It was one terrible day steeped in a month of positivity.
