Don\u2019t cry because it\u2019s over. Smile because it happened\u2026 right? Right? <\/p>\n
After a thorough thumping from Belgium, the U.S.\u2019s World Cup<\/a> dreams are over in the Round of 16. After a string of encouraging performances in the group stages, especially that convincing 4-1 win over Paraguay, hopes were that the U.S. Men\u2019s National Team would advance to the quarter finals for the first time since 2002. Alas, first contact with quality opposition in this tournament and it all turned into something of a nightmare for USMNT<\/a>, and the fans, new and old, have been left a little dumbstruck.<\/p>\n Firstly, there\u2019s no shame in losing to Belgium, a side now-ranked 8th in FIFA\u2019s Men\u2019s World Ranking, with the U.S. in 16th place. Also, on comparitive squad value, Belgium\u2019s 26 players are worth $626.18 million, according to Transfermarkt<\/a>, with the U.S.\u2019s players worth $441.07 million. Belgium\u2019s squad also includes players like Thibaut Courtois, Leandro Trossard, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne who have won club soccer\u2019s greatest prizes such as the Champions League and the Premier League, whereas the U.S.\u2019s star player, Christian Pulisic, to be brutally honest, isn\u2019t even among the top 100 world footballers, according to the latest Guardian survey<\/a> of the best men\u2019s players in the game (Belgium has three in the top 100). <\/p>\n So on balance, Belgium were favorites to win and go on to play Spain in the quarter finals. And that was before all the likely extra motivation that Trossard and co. had following the whole, frankly appalling Folarin Balogun affair<\/a> (thanks Mr. President!).<\/p>\n Still after all the buildup, home field advantage and the tens of millions urging them on, this loss hurts bad and U.S. fans were shocked by how poorly their team played as the hype train crashed into reality. The reaction has been swift, as the vibes went from immaculate to rancid over the space of 90 minutes (plus stoppage time).<\/p>\n Of course rival fans and media from other countries were embracing the schadenfreude of the U.S.\u2019s loss, a team that began the tournament with a fair amount of goodwill which was squandered in the last 48 hours by reports that Donald Trump put pressure on FIFA to rescind Balogun\u2019s suspension. But the home reaction that was just as brutal as any foreign trolling.<\/p>\n On Fox, Carli Lloyd (two-time World Cup-winner and two-time Olympic champion) was particularly scathing (and honest!) about the USMNT, and Pulisic in particular. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a downer for us being out here now after this loss, but I felt like they lost the game before they even stepped out onto the pitch,\u201d said Lloyd. \u201cI\u2019m not sure why, and I don\u2019t know the reasons, but just from the beginning, just chasing, tentative, scared, just not confident on the ball. And I think big-time players\u2014 you wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big moments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI gotta be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic,\u201d Lloyd added. \u201cI think whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn\u2019t see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n Also on Fox, the much-maligned Alexi Lalas<\/a> similarly was not sparing in his criticism of the Americans. \u201cThere\u2019s a part of me that says the time for moral victories is over,\u201d Lalas said after the match. \u201cWe\u2019ve left something on the table here, and that to me is disappointing. I also know that it\u2019s going to be disappointing to the players and to Mauricio Pochettino when they look as this game. The goals that they gave up at times were self-inflicted against a better team, but this U.S. team has beaten better teams in the past.\u201d Lalas added the team went out \u201cwith a whimper rather than a roar.\u201d<\/p>\n The manner of defeat, and the way it has seemingly deflated the bubble of optimism among U.S. fans has Fox concerned, at least judging by the words of the commentators<\/a>, who implored viewers to keep watching the World Cup despite the home teams dismal exit. \u201cIf you\u2019ve enjoyed what you\u2019re seeing, well, support your local team,\u201d Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong told viewers. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t have to be the last soccer you watch for the next four years. It\u2019s a beautiful sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, a man who, as a Tottenham fan, should be used to heartbreak and failure after succumbing to huge hype, was also blunt in his assessment. \u201cUS Soccer is not ready for primetime,\u201d Portnoy tweeted. \u201cI dont wanna be mean but this team is embarrassing. We\u2019re never gonna actually be good at this sport as long as [our] D tier athletes play it. What a clown show.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Simmons, another Tottenham fan who should really be more comfortable with his team being Spursy<\/a>, was all doom and gloom during his post-match episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, that was streamed live on Netflix. \u201cThe one narrative I\u2019m not going to accept is that like \u2018ugh, we would have won if Trump hadn\u2019t gotten Balogun back\u2019\u2026 we sucked! That had nothing to do with anything. The team was terrible. That was the worse we played. Not only was it the worse we played at the tournament, but I\u2019ve watched a ton of soccer [at the World Cup]\u2026 that is the worse anyone has played for about a week, when we\u2019re talking about these final 32 games, final 16 games.\u201d <\/p>\n Below is some more of the best social media reaction to the U.S.\u2019s dismal exit from the 2026 World Cup. <\/p>\n The sad thing is that this team was very diverse and tried to present a new version of the national team that was different from the corny and off-putting one that came before. Then as soon as the vibes were good, they got Trump involved. Now that\u2019s on them forever.<\/p>\n \u2014 Zito (@_Zeets) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For folks who are new to this \u2013 the U.S. is light years behind other countries in soccer. The infrastructure of the academy system, technical & tactical training are not on the same level. The pay-for-play model is also destroying youth development in this country. A goalkeeper\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The US is 16th in world in soccer and that sucks. <\/p>\n BUT. THERE IS SILVER LINING.<\/p>\n We are 36th in literacy.<\/p>\n \u2014 Van Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n What a disaster. If this was basketball we’d be down 50 right now<\/p>\n \u2014 Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This has been the World Cup of stars carrying their teams. <\/p>\n Our alleged star got kicked in the calf, missed a game and a half, made almost zero impact outside of the first half of the first game, and then begged out in the biggest game of his career. <\/p>\n So utterly disappointing.<\/p>\n \u2014 nick wright (@getnickwright) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n There\u2019s a bifurcation at play here. US clearly still well behind as a soccer country in terms of generating talent. But soccer fandom clearly on the rise here. That\u2019s a good sign for the future. https:\/\/t.co\/LVcc5bsZFU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Alex Sherman (@sherman4949) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Get your Belgian chocolate now before the tariffs hit.<\/p>\n \u2014 Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The US can still advance to the quarterfinals if Gianni Infantino has the courage.<\/p>\n \u2014 Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n That goal was almost as embarrassing as these last 48 hours for American soccer.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s as if Belgium had motivation to humiliate the U.S. tonight<\/p>\n \u2014 Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This USA team is a James Franklin team. <\/p>\n Looked great against opponents ranked in the 20-40s. Garnered a bunch of hype. <\/p>\n Now playing a top-10 team and are actively shitting themselves on the field.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jaret Gold (@JaretGold) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Every four years we take the best 11 athletes in every other country and put them up against the 4000th best athletes in America, and see if we can win. It’s a crazy exercise.<\/p>\n \u2014 Coby DuBose | DuBose Defense (@DuBoseDefense) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Maybe making travel soccer even more expensive will help the US finally get good.<\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Moral victory nonsense on the FOX broadcast. Wtf was that? How many more World Cups do we have to watch where the ending is some moral victory?<\/p>\n That was a pathetic performance in the biggest stage of US soccer history. <\/p>\n This was Golden Generation. It\u2019s not 2006 anymore. <\/p>\n They\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Jack Mac (@JackMac) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This game is like a different sport than what I was watching last night at the Azteca<\/p>\n \u2014 Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I hate to pile on but gotta call it like you see it \u2013 we just absolutely folded under the bright lights. First time anybody was really watching us, we had gone from darlings to villains and it was time to back it up, and we utterly choked<\/p>\n \u2014 KFC (@KFCBarstool) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Amazing how quickly the good vibes around this team completely evaporated in less than 24 hours. A completely and utterly embarrassing way for the biggest moment for soccer in this country to end.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ben Wright (@benwright) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The announcers begging US viewers to not stop watching the World Cup now that we’ve lost is the depressing cherry on top<\/p>\n \u2014 Sam Stein (@samstein) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Listen man we got absolutely smoked. Belgium proved there are levels to this. We are not at that level.<\/p>\n \u2014 Kev\u00edn (@KevOnStage) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This was the USA ceiling. Maybe a new generation can grow out of this, but until we get more of our best athleetes choosing Soccer over Basketball, Football and Baseball . This is where we will be stuck<\/p>\n \u2014 Frank Fleming (@NjTank99) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Congrats to Belgium \u2014 they dominated us. But I\u2019m not sure we would have beaten any World Cup team today. On the biggest stage in the biggest game in US soccer history in front of an electric home crowd, our team completely no showed and embarrassed itself today.<\/p>\n \u2014 Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n haven\u2019t seen America this thoroughly embarrassed on the world stage since we lost that war we started with Iran like 3 weeks ago<\/p>\n \u2014 the thicc husband & father (@lukeisamazing) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Is Belgium the greatest soccer team of all time? <\/p>\n These guys are monsters<\/p>\n \u2014 Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Belgium is actually did us a FAVOR by dismantling us like this . Let\u2019s us know. We\u2019re not nearly as close as we thought. This was awful. \ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude14<\/p>\n \u2014 shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I’m beginning to think Paraguay, Australia, T\u00fcrkiye and Bosnia & Herzegovina did not exactly comprise a Murderer’s Row.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s certainly possible Team USA would have been better off tonight fighting for their lives as the \u201chopeless underdog\u201d without Balogun.<\/p>\n \u2014 Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n You gotta be fucking kidding me, I\u2019m done with this shit, biggest game on the biggest stage & we are embarrassing ourselves not being able to do basic fundamental shit \ud83d\ude24<\/p>\n \u2014 Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n What sucks is if I\u2019ve really grown to enjoy the game of soccer during this World Cup but unfortunately I won\u2019t have a chance to watch it for another 4 years now<\/p>\n \u2014 Tommy Smokes (@TomScibelli) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Not glad we\u2019re out but I\u2019m glad the Balogun bs was not rewarded. Embarrassed the team and the country imo<\/p>\n \u2014 Astead (@AsteadWH) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This game sucked so bad it doesn\u2019t even deserve the fake hacked tweet. What a bummer. Was fun getting swept up in the USMNT hype but the levels to this are abundantly clear. <\/p>\n 52 days till CFB<\/p>\n\n
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