USMNT player ratings: Pulisic & Co. struggle in World Cup exit - ESPN

For the fourth time in the past five World Cups, the U.S. men's national team met its end in the round of 16, this time with a 4-1 loss Monday to Belgium at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field).

Belgium took a 1-0 lead thanks to Charles De Ketelaere scoring in the ninth minute, an ominous sign for the Americans. The U.S. entered Monday with a 0-0-7 record in World Cup knockout games after giving up the first goal.

Although Malik Tillman's free kick tied the score in the 31st minute, De Ketelaere struck again just 52 seconds later for a 2-1 lead. Belgium took a 3-1 lead because of goalkeeper Matt Freese's second-half miscue in the 57th minute, and Romelu Lukaku capped the scoring in the 93rd minute.

Here's a look at how it all went wrong in the USMNT's final match of the 2026 World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino, 5 --Belgium taking six shots in the first 11 minutes was a sign that the U.S. would be forced to defend quite a bit. The Americans also struggled at times to control possession. At halftime, Pochettino brought on Gio Reyna, hoping it would lead to a spark. The U.S. tried to find an equalizer, but Freese's mistake in the second half made it more challenging.

GK Matt Freese, 2 — His decisions came under question early and often. It started when he misread a sequence during the Belgians' first goal by De Ketelaere. It proved costly again when De Ketelaere scored his second goal on a header that caught Freese out of position. Then, he committed his blunder in the second half, when he tried to play the ball outside his area, but it deflected off De Ketelaere to Hans Vanaken, who scored the fatal goal.

RB Alex Freeman, 3 — Both of the Red Devils' goals in the first half came on the right side. Freeman got in front of the initial