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USMNT supporters had started to believe—some more vocally than others—that lifting the World Cup this summer was within reach. But following a crushing round of 16 loss to Belgium, a performance Mauricio Pochettino described as "not good enough," those hopes were swiftly extinguished.
With pre-match discussion dominated by Folarin Balogun's deeply contentious eligibility situation, the American side struggled to find their footing from the outset against their most formidable World Cup opponent. Belgium took the lead within the opening 10 minutes and, despite Malik Tillman leveling with a deflected free kick, the U.S. fell behind again almost immediately and never truly threatened.
"I think we were not good enough, it wasn't our day," Pochettino reflected afterwards.
"We didn't perform in the way that we were supposed to perform, or show our quality," he added, also insisting the Balogun situation was neither a distraction nor a factor in the underwhelming display.
"Everyone saw from the beginning that we did not connect with the game. We were never in the game, even when we scored the goal [to equalize], we conceded in the next action. It was really tough from the beginning," Pochettino noted.
"Congratulations to Belgium, they were better than us. It's not to find excuses, we didn't show what we normally showed. That is the reality."
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USMNT Slips Up in First Real Challenge
The USMNT had been able to ease into its home World Cup through a manageable path to the round of 16, defeating Paraguay and Australia to secure top spot in Group D, before falling to Türkiye, then overcoming a limited Bosnia and Herzegovina side in the opening knockout round.
Belgium, even arguably in its weakest form in over a decade—despite Pat McAfee's X post questioning whether these Belgian "monsters" are the "greatest soccer team of all time"—proved to be a clear step up. The USMNT had seemingly found its ceiling: better than some, but still far from being a genuine title contender.
"We need to learn, it's a process to learn," Pochettino stressed.
"We need to assess our game and see why we didn't approach the game the same way as rest of World Cup. Maybe the explanation is easy, it wasn't our day."
Will Pochettino Continue As USMNT Manager?
With the U.S. now eliminated from the World Cup, Pochettino's contract is set to expire imminently. At this stage, no extension has been agreed upon, though reports indicate that U.S. Soccer put forward a new offer at the end of June.
The Argentine, who built his reputation managing clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in Europe, was unwilling to address his immediate future at this point.
"Now is not a moment to talk about that," he said. "I think now is a moment to see, to assess the tournament. I'm sure in the next weeks we can start to talk if [U.S. Soccer] wants.
"I think we set the principles for the future to be very successful. I think we feel proud because ... I think we'll create something that is going to stay now in the federation and in this country.
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"I think this team showed that we can play football, we can play soccer, we can compete. A lot of young players with a lot of potential and future, and I think a generation of young kids that are coming behind. I think only [that you should] keep believing in that process."
Whether Pochettino remains part of that journey is something we will learn soon enough.