SEATTLE — U.S. men’s national soccer team head coach Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged Monday that his squad simply did not perform well enough after being eliminated from the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.
Playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Seattle, the Americans had entered the match with confidence following strong performances in the group stage and round of 32. Many had viewed Belgium as a beatable opponent. Instead, the U.S. turned in their most uncertain performance of the entire tournament and were thoroughly outplayed by a sharp Belgian side.
“We didn’t show our real quality as a team,” Pochettino said at a post-match press conference. “We never connected with the game. Belgium were better than us, and that’s it.”
“It was a very bad day. It wasn’t our day, collectively or individually. In a tournament like the World Cup, when that happens in a knockout stage, you are out and you need to go home.”
The Americans had a brief moment of hope when Malik Tillman found the net to tie the score at 1-1, but Belgium responded almost immediately to take back control of the match. Pochettino expressed frustration over his team’s failure to capitalize on the equalizer.
“Even when we scored, in the next action we conceded,” he said. “Normally you cannot concede in that moment.”
Questions were raised about whether controversy off the field had played a role in the team’s performance. The availability of Folarin Balogun had been a point of contention after FIFA suspended his red-card ban and Belgium’s appeal against that decision was dismissed. Pochettino pushed back firmly on any suggestion that the situation had impacted his players.
“We were not good enough today. We don’t need to find excuses,” he said. “All that was happening around was around, but it wasn’t a situation that affected us.”
With his contract set to expire at the conclusion of the World Cup, Pochettino said no determination has been reached regarding his future with the program.
“Now is a moment to rest a little bit, to think, to have conversations and then see what the decision is from the federation and from us,” he said.
Despite the disappointing result, Pochettino stood by the team’s overall growth, pointing to the strides made over the past year.
“We need to keep improving,” he said. “But I am proud. I think we settled the principles for the future.”
