Tim Ream: USMNT was in 'shock' at poor showing in World Cup exit - ESPN

United States men's national team captain Tim Ream said he and his teammates were in «shock» following their poor performance in exiting the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Belgium.

The U.S. was riding a wave of optimism heading into the round-of-16 matchup after eye-catching performances in the group stage and an impressive win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32, despite playing with 10 men for more than half an hour after the Americans' top scorer, Folarin Balogun, was sent off.

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But Mauricio Pochettino's side came crashing back to earth last week in a 4-1 demolition by Belgium riddled with U.S. miscues. It was the fourth time in the past five World Cups that the Americans exited at this stage; the only exception was in 2018, when they did not qualify.

«It's disbelief,» Ream told ESPN's «The Pat McAfee Show» on Thursday of the reaction in the locker room afterward. «It's trying to put together and understand what had just gone on because it was polar opposite of of the way we had played up to that point.

»I think the feeling in the room was shock and and trying to understand where and why we had the game that we did."

The team has come in for heavy criticism following its exit, especially star attacker Christian Pulisic.

The AC Milan player was forced off with a right ankle injury in the 59th minute against Belgium and could only watch the USMNT collapse from the sideline. The injury was Pulisic's second of the World Cup. Following a dynamic first 45 minutes against Paraguay, he battled a calf injury that forced him to miss parts of three