{"id":4518,"date":"2026-07-08T05:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4518"},"modified":"2026-07-08T05:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:34:18","slug":"after-a-world-cup-opportunity-lost-what-does-the-future-hold-for-the-united-states-mens-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4518","title":{"rendered":"After a World Cup opportunity lost, what does the future hold for the United States men\u2019s team?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sleepwalking in Seattle was not how the US men\u2019s team wanted to go out of this World Cup. Not wearing dazed expressions while their exuberant Belgian rivals did a mock Trump dance on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Payton Tolle has sharp outing; Red Sox defeat White Sox for fourth straight win<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a moment to have the opportunity to advance and really try to do something special,\u201d midfielder Tyler Adams reflected Monday night after the home side had been dropkicked out of the tournament by a 4-1 count in the round of 16. \u201cWe fell short.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Not by a little. By a lot. Not since the inaugural 1930 edition when the Americans were trampled, 6-1, by Argentina in the semifinals had they lost this badly in an elimination game.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The United States had played in five knockout matches since and all of them had been close. The 1994 team lost, 1-0, to eventual champion Brazil. The 2002 squad was edged, 1-0, by Germany in the quarters. The 2010 and \u203214 teams went out in extra time to Ghana and Belgium.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four years ago when the Yanks lost, 3-1, to the Netherlands it was a one-goal game with nine minutes to play.<\/span><\/p>\n

This time the United States simply was torched by a bunch of aging Red Devils who\u2019d needed a near-divine intervention against Senegal to stay alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Americans, who\u2019d scored 10 goals in their previous four outings, managed only a free-kick blast against Belgium by Malik Tillman that brought them level literally for a minute. They came to a win-or-die gunfight with one bullet in their chamber. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cI think we were not good enough,\u201d said coach Mauricio Pochettino, who may or may not stay on until 2030. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t our day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States has plenty of company in the discard bin. Brazil, which has claimed five Cups, made its earliest exit since 1990. The Germans, who\u2019ve collected four Cups, failed to reach the round of 16 for the third straight time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dutch made their quickest departure since 2006. The Italians, also four-time victors, didn\u2019t get here at all. And the Argentines needed a late resurrection Tuesday to avoid being entombed by Egypt.<\/span><\/p>\n

The global game has progressed dramatically during the past decade and except for the likes of Argentina, France, and Spain the traditional masters of the planet have struggled to keep pace.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>How did France become a World Cup power? Its success traces to failure spawning a national soccer institute.<\/div>\n

Several dozen countries now can put a competitive entry on the field. When Cape Verde holds the European titlist (Spain) to a scoreless draw and takes the defending champion (Argentina) deep into extra time it\u2019s a new world indeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States, which can\u2019t even win a regional tournament on its home soil, never was going to lift the Cup even with a foot-in-mouth assist from the 12th man in the Oval Office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Follow live updates on the Trump administration<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, this team believed that it could at least reach the quarterfinals. Its predecessors managed that two dozen years ago with a roster that wasn\u2019t as talented as this one. And yet from the opening whistle the Americans were taken to school in a most elementary fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Belgians, like most European teams, clearly possess more advanced technical skills and tactical sophistication. They rarely allowed a US attack to progress beyond the midfield. They shackled Christian Pulisic and isolated Folarin Balogun.<\/span><\/p>\n

They probed and pierced the back line artfully. And when goalkeeper Matt Freese froze while trying to deal with a bouncing long ball off his line. the Red Devils turned it into a blooper clip for the decisive third goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Americans, who looked rattled and indecisive throughout the evening, appeared to have met each other for the first time at breakfast. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWas anyone a major presence on the field today?\u201d mused Adams.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was a team that had every advantage coming in. It didn\u2019t have to go through qualifying. It had a favorable draw and was performing before amped-up supporters in jammed stadiums. And it still couldn\u2019t find a way forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s been the US history on its own continent recently. The Copa America, CONCACAF Nations League Finals, and Gold Cup all were held in the States during the last two years and the Yanks couldn\u2019t win any of them. When you can\u2019t beat Panama \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

So where does the United States go from here? The upside is that all of the starters except for captain Tim Ream were under 30 and four of them \u2014 Balogun, Tillman, and defenders Alex Freeman and Sergino Dest \u2014 25 or younger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>\u2018A brutal loss\u2019: Emotional night for fans at Boston watch party as Belgium eliminates US from World Cup<\/div>\n

But the Olympic team that plays in Los Angeles two summers from now will need to supply more under-23 talent than did the 2024 group which had only one player (Arlington native Miles Robinson) make this Cup squad.<\/span><\/p>\n

The US program needs more world-class depth and more rigor in its preparation if it wants to go upward instead of sideways next time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pochettino has an offer to stay on to direct the next Cup quest. Because he started for the Argentine squad that went out early in 2002, he\u2019s a blunt realist about what will be required to do better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next time there\u2019ll be no free pass for the Americans. The road to Iberia and Morocco goes through Mexico City and points south.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Wu taps affordable housing developer to BPDA board<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The US program needs more world-class depth and more rigor in its preparation if it wants to go upward instead of sideways next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nAfter a World Cup opportunity lost, what does the future hold for the United States men\u2019s team? - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4518\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After a World Cup opportunity lost, what does the future hold for the United States men\u2019s team? 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