USMNT fans were beginning to wonder—some more loudly and boldly than others—if it was actually possible to lift the World Cup this summer. But after a heavy round of 16 defeat to Belgium, a performance Mauricio Pochettino termed “not good enough,” that dream quickly went up in smoke.
With the pregame narrative dominated by Folarin Balogun’s highly controversial availability, the American team struggled to compete from the very beginning against its toughest opponent of the World Cup. Belgium led inside the first 10 minutes and, even though Malik Tillman tied the score with a deflected free kick, the U.S. immediately trailed again and never really got close.
“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 saga wasn’t a distraction or responsible for the subpar 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 grow into its home World Cup with a favorable route through to the round of 16, beating Paraguay and Australia to guarantee top spot in Group D, before losing to Türkiye, and then meeting a limited Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first knockout round.
Belgium, even perhaps the worst version of it in 15 years—despite Pat McAfee’s X question whether these Belgian “monsters” are the “greatest soccer team of all time”—was a level above. The USMNT had seemingly found its place, better than some, but still not close to being a genuine 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?
Now that the World Cup is over for the U.S., Pochettino will imminently be out of contract. As of this time, there is no agreement in place for him to continue, although reports suggest that U.S. Soccer extended an offer for a fresh deal at the end of June.
The Argentine, who made his name managing the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in Europe, was not prepared to discuss his immediate future just yet.
“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.
“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 will be part of that future, we will found out soon enough.
