by A 4-1 World Cup Round of 16 loss to Belgium at Seattle Stadium. What could have been a celebration of pure ecstasy for almost 70,000 American soccer spectators was instead a disappointing moment.
All of the adrenaline for a big win was there, with the chorus of voices singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” before the game, both inside and outside of the stadium. The fans were looking forward to an exciting, offensive game, with big plays from players like Falorin Balogun and Christian Pulisic. Instead, the game was mostly defensive from the U.S. team, as Belgium controlled the ball – and the pace – for the majority of the game. The midfielders were overwhelmed throughout the game, left to cover wide spaces in the middle of the field. Throughout the game, Balogun struggled to advance because of the strong Belgian defense, further pushing the U.S. players into a defensive mindset.
The momentum was determined at the very beginning of the game. Charles de Ketelaere scored a goal in the ninth minute of play, setting up Belgium’s team for an offensive advantage.
The U.S. players struggled to shift that momentum in their favor. It was the first time in the tournament that they had failed to score the opening goal. However, they took back some of the momentum in the 31st minute, with a much sought-after goal from attacking midfielder Malik Tillman.
The fans were thrilled at this turn of events. However, the excitement didn’t last long. Belgium pulled ahead less than two minutes later with a header from de Ketelaere.
Star winger Christian Pulisic injured his ankle and knee in the 54th minute in a collision with a Belgium midfielder. He was subbed out in the 59th minute, and declared that he had full faith in his teammates.
Berhalter and Balogun were the likely players to score a goal. They tried to regain their teams’ short-lived momentum, but both had unsuccessful attempts at making a goal in the 79th and 82nd minutes of the game. Berhalter’s boot went wide, and Balogun’s kick was picked up by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
After that, there were no huge plays from the U.S. team; they seemed fatigued. Belgium’s fourth goal was scored in the third minute of stoppage time, securing their impressive victory.
The game may have been a valiant effort, but they didn’t look like the robust team from their 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the group stage. Throughout the game, they were disorganized and chaotic. Forced by Belgium into defending instead of attacking, the result was an anticlimactic end to their World Cup appearance.
