The clock struck midnight for the USMNT as Belgium dismantled the Americans, 4-1, in the Round of 16 on Monday night in Seattle.
The Red Devils, as they are affectionately called in their homeland, came out with their hair on fire, routinely beating the United States to the ball and creating scoring opportunities with relentless energy and effort. The flair and joy the Americans displayed in the group stage and in their Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina were nowhere to be found, much to the chagrin of the capacity crowd.
“The support was unbelievable. I think our initial reaction as a team was that, in this moment, we let them down, but I think all together people gravitated toward the team because we were relatable and we represented exactly what the U.S. was,” said United States midfielder Tyler Adams of the run his team went on that captivated the nation. “Today wasn’t a good day. You can analyze the performance, you can analyze a lot of things, but the togetherness of the group and how we competed throughout large parts of the tournament was really good.”
Playing on its heels from the opening kickoff, the United States paid dearly for early defensive lapses. Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere capitalized with the game’s opening goal in the ninth minute, finishing a low cross from Nicolas Raskin to give Belgium a 1-0 lead.
A glimmer of hope came from Malik Tillman, who was a bright spot for the United States and continued his ascension as a budding superstar. Tillman scored his second free-kick goal in as many matches, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 31st minute with a fortunate strike that deflected off the wall and into the back of the net.
However, Belgium responded less than two minutes later. A cross from Leandro Trossard found De Ketelaere deep inside the box, where he headed the ball into the back of the net. De Ketelaere overpowered United States center back Tim Ream on the play with a world-class display of skill and athleticism.
Despite trailing 2-1, the opening minutes of the second half were promising for the United States. The Americans controlled possession and appeared poised to find an equalizer until disaster struck. A failed clearance by United States goalkeeper Matt Freese resulted in an easy goal for substitute Hans Vanaken in the 57th minute, extending Belgium’s lead to 3-1.
The two-goal advantage pushed the United States into desperation mode and played directly into Belgium’s hands. Romelu Lukaku added another goal to his legendary career with Belgium, scoring in stoppage time to put the finishing touches on the victory.
Belgium will now advance to a quarterfinal matchup against Spain on Friday.
