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USA eliminated after ‘absolutely awful’ World Cup brain fade
Matt Freese’s hesitation gifted Belgium a goal before Romelu Lukaku added a late insurance strike.
- On Tuesday, the United States was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16 at Seattle Stadium.
- Trailing 2-1, goalkeeper Matt Freese made a critical error at the 56-minute mark, allowing Hans Vanaken to score and extend Belgium's lead to an insurmountable 3-1.
- Belgium dominated with an 11-3 edge in shots, while Malik Turner's free kick in the 17th minute provided the only American goal before Romelu Lukaku sealed the 4-1 victory in stoppage time.
- United States coach Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged the team's poor execution, stating, "We never connected with the game," as the hosts failed to maintain momentum after halftime.
- Belgium advances to face Spain in the quarter-finals, while the United States concludes its home World Cup campaign and begins assessing the costly mistake that ended its tournament hopes.
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28 Articles
28 Articles
Swedish football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic has commented on the heavy 4-1 defeat of the US national team to Belgium in the round of 16 of the World Cup. Invited to Fox Sports, the former Swedish striker praised the Americans' performance in the tournament, but stressed that they faced a stronger opponent. "My first reaction is that they played against a better team. On paper, Belgium is stronger than the USA," Ibrahimovic declared. According to …
Matt Freese went into the tournament as an unknown player and played himself. He scored four goals against Belgium, a mistake stands out. Also the defense wobbled, but the negative picture remains hanging on the keeper.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources28
Leaning Left4Leaning Right8Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 19%
C 43%
R 38%
Factuality
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