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United States forward Christian Pulisic could only watch from the bench as Belgium extinguished his team’s World Cup bid, ending a tournament in which the American star was hobbled by injuries and largely ineffective. The most accomplished U.S. striker, Pulisic was held scoreless in his second World Cup. He has 33 goals in 90 international appearances but has scored just once in eight World Cup games — against Iran in the group stage in 2022. For the second time in this World Cup, Pulisic left a match in the second half with an injury, leaving Monday’s 4-1 loss to Belgium after twisting his right ankle when he extended for a shot attempt and hit the boot of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans in the 52nd minute. After spending a few moments lying on the pitch, Pulisic began favoring the foot and was replaced in the 59th by Sebastian Berhalter with the U.S. trailing 3-1. Having to come out of the game was “difficult for me to deal with,” he said. “I felt really good this summer with the guys and I thought my level was high,” Pulisic said. “It’s disappointing I didn’t quite have the moments I was hoping to and to try to help us to get over this next step of beating a really good team.” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the game he hoped Pulisic’s injury was nothing serious and that Pulisic would be able to reintegrate with his club, AC Milan. Players typically get 21 days off after the end of the World Cup before having to report to their clubs. Pulisic was slowed by a calf injury during the group stage. After a sparkling first half in the first U.S. game, a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, he sat for the rest of the match due to stiffness from a calf injury incurred in training. He sat out the Americans’ win over Australia before entering as a substitute in the group-stage loss to Turkey. Pulisic returned to the starting lineup for the Americans’ 2-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32. He said Monday he will “try and stay positive,” adding: “I did a lot of good things and the team did as well.” “He’s going to bounce back,” American defender Alex Freeman said. “He’s a great player and a person that’s always going to fight.” Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

What was such an inspiring World Cup journey came to a disappointing end. When the competition gets harder, there are more consequences for not performing. It can’t be a day when so many guys are passengers. On the day, it was simple: Belgium was the better side. The performance today was nowhere near what these players expected of themselves, and I think that’s where the most disappointment will come from. It was not where it needed to be to give the U.S. a chance to win the game. Instead of just rating the players for their performances against Belgium, let’s take a bigger-picture look at how they did throughout the tournament. (We’ll start with the coach, though.) U.S. Player Ratings I thought he managed the tournament well. Some people gave him stick for making changes in the final group-stage match against Türkiye when there was nothing to play for, but ultimately, those were warranted. You saw what happened in the next game against Bosnia and Herzegovina when a well-rested squad performed very well in the round of 32. The lineup Pochettino picked against Belgium was the right one. It was the best XI available. Ultimately, I think there’s going to be some criticism because the belief was that he could take us that step further than we’ve been. But I tip my hat to him and thought he managed this group well throughout the group stage. For me, Weston was the best player in the tournament for us. There’s a reason why he played the most minutes of anybody on this team, and there’s a reason why Pochettino trusts him so much in midfield. He offers a lot on both ends of the pitch. I think getting a second World Cup under his belt will bode well for him going forward. He’s going to remain a big part of our spine in midfield. Flo was right up there with Weston throughout the course of the tournament. As I have said throughout the World Cup, he is the No. 9 we have been waiting for. Balogun was man of the match on multiple occasions, and his influence was felt throughout the course of this World Cup. He’ll continue to be the target man for this team. Tillman is a special player. He offers something different compared to Weston and Tyler Adams and delivers constant quality on the ball. I’m very excited about this midfield trio going forward. Freeman showed really well for himself against Belgium. He had moments but ultimately wasn’t at the level of consistency that we’d seen throughout the course of the group stage or against Bosnia and Herzegovina. For a 21-year-old, he conducted himself incredibly well. He’s our anchor and a huge part of our spine moving forward. Getting Chris this experience at the World Cup, to me, was vital. He’s going to assume even more responsibility moving forward. Part of Christian’s rating is because of the calf injury he suffered in the group stage. A lot of his tournament was impacted by that, since he maybe wasn’t on the field as much as we needed him. Then against Belgium, he struggled to have the type of involvement that he knows he can. When Christian is at his best and sharpest, we win that game. When that’s the case, he’s committing defenders to him, beating players off the dribble, getting shots off, getting access to the final third. If nothing else, he’s attracting the defense’s attention. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to have that kind of impact against Belgium because he didn’t have the chances to play more minutes earlier in the tournament. Without the performance against Belgium, this is a 7 or an 8. My rating definitely was impacted by that defeat, though. I felt Tyler could have been more authoritative and dictated more of the play against Belgium. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise solid World Cup. Ream wasn’t at his best against Belgium, as he was involved in conceding three of them. Ultimately, I thought he had a good tournament minus this performance. Unfortunately for him, this match against Belgium was when we needed him most and the opponent got the better of him. Against Belgium, Antonee was just a little less effective than he has been throughout the course of the tournament. Still, he’s one of our most consistent players from game to game. It’s interesting with Sergiño because he is playing somewhat out of position. He is traditionally a right back and plays there for his club and has, in the past, for the national team, but he was a right-winger for this tournament. Against Belgium, it wasn’t his best day, but he looked threatening at times throughout the World Cup. Throughout the course of the tournament, he made the saves that he was supposed to make, along with a couple bigger saves, even against Belgium. What’s going to stand out, though, is the glaring mistake he made that led directly to the third Belgium goal. That one really put the game out of reach for us and made it even more difficult to get back into it.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

While the USA’s World Cup run ended in difficult fashion on Monday night in Seattle, former national team players noted that there are plenty of positives to take away from this tournament. Belgium knocked the U.S. out with an impressive performance that ended with a 4-1 win. The Americans conceded in the ninth minute. Malik Tillman scored from another free kick in the 31st minute, and then, less than two minutes later, Belgium struck back. USA never came out of its stupor after that, with a down performance that coach Mauricio Pochettino believes falls on him. The run ends on a down note, but it shouldn’t be all doom and gloom for the future of U.S. soccer. The Americans won Group D and delivered a memorable performance in the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That knockout-stage match clearly captivated the nation, with more than 27 million people tuning in for the victory on July 1. “You can’t get away from talk shows talking about soccer, the U.S. men’s national team, talking about these individuals and how brilliant they’ve been,” former USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan said on “World Cup NOW” from Seattle Stadium after the defeat. “On the day, it’s disappointing, but overall, they should be extremely proud of what they’ve been able to do.” “I’m really proud of the inspiration that they gave the United States and a lot of young kids out there and a lot of fans,” former U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan said, “that casual sports fan that locked in on this team and was so excited to watch them play. That was special.” This was the second time in U.S. soccer history that the team won a game in the knockout stage, although it has still only reached one quarterfinal since 1930. While the crew of former players acknowledged that there will be frustration and disappointment after this defeat, this will be a positive for U.S. soccer over the long haul. “The bigger picture still exists,” Edu said. “What I would say to this group of players is hold your head up, right? Yeah, it’s difficult right now in this moment. It’s difficult, of course, because of the circumstances, but hold your head high and don’t for a second stop dreaming, stop daring yourself to be the best version of this national team that we’ve ever seen. Don’t, for a second, ever, question what your ability is and what the standard is.” Many players who started for the U.S. compete in some of the top leagues in the world. Midfielder Weston McKennie and winger Christian Pulisic play in Italy’s Serie A; midfielder Malik Tillman plays in the German Bundesliga; striker Folarin Balogun is in France’s Ligue 1; defender Alex Freeman moved to La Liga in Spain back in January; and defenders Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson are both in the English Premier League. The performances that this U.S. men’s national team put together will no doubt have raised some eyebrows across the world. Edu added: “It’s a global perspective that’s looking at this country, looking at us saying, ‘Yeah, they seem to have something. That country is producing players. They’re not scared of the moment, they’re ready for the moment, and they’re going to win a World Cup soon.’”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It was a disastrous night for the co-hosts. And the United States men’s national team’s leader thinks the blame should fall squarely on his shoulders. After falling 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle, United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino spoke with FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft about the bitter result. “Maybe the explanation is so easy: it wasn’t our day, collectively and individually,” Pochettino told Taft. “Of course, the principal responsible is myself. And yes, we need to see and to check what we did because it wasn’t the performance or the way that normally we play.” Pochettino went on to congratulate his opponents, while acknowledging USA did not play to the fullest of its abilities. “To congratulate Belgium, they were better than us,” Pochettino said. “I think it wasn’t our day. That is. It’s not to find excuses or to find arguments because we didn’t show what normally [our] team can show. And that is the reality.” Belgium cruised into the quarterfinals behind a brace from Charles De Ketelaere, a goal from Hans Vanaken and a late finish from Romelu Lukaku to cap off a dominant performance. Malik Tillman managed to equalize for the co-hosts at 1-1 after converting a free kick in the 31st minute, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough. “I think everything was short,” Pochettino said. “From the beginning, we didn’t connect the game. We never were on the game, even when we scored. And we scored the goal, 1-1, we conceded the next action. It was really tough from the beginning.” Pochettino said the United States will need to evaluate what went wrong after failing to approach the game with the same intensity and sharpness it had shown earlier in the tournament. “I think we need to learn. I think it’s a process to learn. We need to assess that game, and we need to see why we didn’t approach the game in the same way [as] the rest of the World Cup.” Belgium moves on and will take on Spain in the quarterfinals in Los Angeles on Friday, July 10.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

If you’re looking for an epic Golden Boot race, we’ve got you. If you want the defending champs and a GOAT trying to outrun Father Time, it’s there too. And if you want pure starpower, fear not: the 2026 World Cup has already delivered, and we’re not even to the quarterfinals. An eye-popping 46 players out of our Top 100 are still in action as we wind down the round of 16. The winners of Colombia-Switzerland and Argentina-Egypt will close out the bracket, and as the action tightens up, the best of the best will clash as the stakes get even higher. France has 13 Top 100 players. Spain has double digits still in action. And Argentina has, well, Messi (along with other superstars of its own). Get caught up with the best of the best as we get closer to seeing who will lift the World Cup trophy. *The rankings reflected are from our pre-tournament Top 100. Age: 23Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 28Club team: Manchester United (England) Age: 28Club team: Inter Milan (Italy) Age: 29Club team: Real Sociedad (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 29Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 30Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 25Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 26Club team: Chelsea (England) Age: 27Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Koundé will likely start at right back for the French, who are among the favorites this summer. He has made at least 40 appearances in each of the last four seasons for Barcelona. Age: 27Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Liverpool (England) Age: 30Club team: AC Milan (Italy) Age: 25Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 19Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 26Club team: Liverpool (England) Age: 33Club team: Liverpool (England) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 25Club team: Chelsea (England) Age: 23Club team: Athletic Club Bilbao (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 27Club team: Chelsea (England) Age: 33Club team: Aston Villa (England) Age: 34Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 35Club team: Fenerbahçe (Türkiye) Age: 22Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 23Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 20Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 34Club team: Napoli (Italy) Age: 24Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 28Club team: Inter Milan (Italy) Age: 26Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 29Club team: Bayern Munich (Germany) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 22Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 39Club team: Inter Miami (USA) Age: 29Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 26Club team: Atlético Madrid (Spain) Age: 23Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 25Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 24Club team: Bayern Munich (Germany) Age: 28Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 32Club team: Bayern Munich (Germany) Age: 27Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 18Club team: Barcelona (Spain)​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

After losing to Belgium in the 2026 World Cup, the United States national team will soon begin a new cycle to build toward 2030. Projecting the player pool four years out is nearly impossible, but when looking at the current U.S. national team and the status of the youth teams, there are certainly some players who are worth following closely in the coming years, regardless of who coaches the team. There are a few important things to consider when looking into the future. First, the U.S. national team player pool is going to see many key players of this 2026 World Cup roster either age out or be past their prime years. Tim Weah and Chris Richards will be 30. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Mark McKenzie will all be 31. Haji Wright, Alex Zendejas and Antonee Robinson will be 32. And of course, Tim Ream will be 42. Players in their 30s can still be vital to any team’s World Cup effort, but the U.S. has a critical mass of players turning 30 where, unless the player pool shifts younger in the coming years, the team will be one of the oldest teams at the 2030 World Cup. And as the team shifts younger, there will be several measuring sticks along the way. The USMNT player pool will benefit from the U.S. hosting the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. That is going to be instrumental for many top prospects to bridge the gap between the youth national teams and the senior teams. On top of that, there will potentially be important U-20 World Cups in 2027 and 2029, if the U.S. qualifies. That has traditionally been an important stepping stone for top national team players. Plus, there will be players who simply missed out on this 2026 World Cup but who will be in their prime years in 2030. Let’s look at the strongest candidates for the USA’s 2030 World Cup roster. Highly Likely: Center back Chris Richards, winger Christian Pulisic, striker Folarin Balogun, midfielder Tyler Adams, midfielder Malik Tillman, striker Ricardo Pepi A Good Chance: Midfielder Weston McKennie, right-winger Tim Weah, right-winger Sergiño Dest, right back Alex Freeman Will Have To Fight For It: Winger Gio Reyna, right back Joe Scally, goalkeeper Matt Freese, goalkeeper Matt Turner, left back Max Arfsten, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, goalkeeper Chris Brady, winger Brenden Aaronson, striker Haji Wright, center back Auston Trusty, center back Mark McKenzie, winger Alejandro Zendejas Unlikely To Return: Center back Tim Ream, fullback Antonee Robinson, midfielder Cristian Roldan, center back Miles Robinson It is never easy to predict where players will be in their careers in four years. Even when not considering injuries, many predictions made from 2022 to 2026 were incorrect. In 2022, Tim Ream was a player who seemed to be in the twilight of his career. Most figured he would have retired by 2026. Instead, he was the World Cup captain. In 2022, most people viewed Yunus Musah as a budding star after starting for the U.S. team in Qatar. Instead, he was not even close to making this summer’s team. Looking at the 2026 team, it seems like a safe bet that Adams and Pulisic will be back for a third World Cup. Malik Tillman should return for his second attempt, as should Chris Richards, who could be a potential captain in 2030. Meanwhile, Balogun and Pepi seem very likely to be the top-two strikers, given how well their careers have progressed. After that, there should be a lot of competition among those looking to move onto the team and those trying to keep their spots. That competition should ultimately be healthy and beneficial to the team. Diego Luna: The Real Salt Lake attacking midfielder and winger was injured at the start of 2026, and it likely cost him a spot on the World Cup team. Luna impressed Mauricio Pochettino for most of 2025, including at the Gold Cup and in the year’s final friendly, a 5-1 win over Uruguay where he scored. He still remains one of the better and more fearless playmakers in the pool, and, at 22 years old, he will be right in his prime for 2030. Tanner Tessmann: The 24-year-old Lyon midfielder and 2024 Olympic team captain was the most widely discussed omission from the 2023 player pool, given how few central midfielders made the team. Tessmann did not play in Lyon’s final two games of the season, and it is not clear if that played a role in his omission. But Tessmann’s career remains on the upswing with one of France’s biggest teams, and he will be continuing to play at a high level for the years ahead. Gianluca Busio: The Venezia midfielder has a lot of experience at just 24 years old. He was a top young MLS player and moved to Italy, where he has fluctuated between Serie A and Serie B with Venezia. But the 2025-26 season was the best of his career, and he captained the team to promotion, where it looks set to remain in the top flight. He should be back in the mix this cycle. Johnny Cardoso: The Atlético Madrid central midfielder was likely going to be on the 2026 team if not for an ankle injury he suffered in May. At 24, he clearly will be back with the American squad soon. The concern for Cardoso is that he is still yet to look fully comfortable with the U.S. team. Patrick Agyemang: The Derby County striker emerged with the U.S. team in 2025, and he made a smooth transition from MLS to the Championship. He appeared to be a good fit for Pochettino’s U.S. team but was derailed by an Achilles injury. If he can recover well, he will be in the mix. Aidan Morris: Morris has been a top midfielder in the Championship and nearly got Middlesbrough promoted. The former Columbus Crew midfielder has a solid reputation in England that he should continue to make strides in the coming years. He was likely among the last cut for 2026 and should get more looks. Jack McGlynn: The Houston Dynamo midfielder had poorly timed injuries this past cycle, but he still has one of the best left foots among the options. Whoever is managing the player pool will want to give a solid look. Zavier Gozo: The Real Salt Lake right back/wing back is likely the top American teenager in the game right now, and he was in the mix for the 2026 team. He is likely going to be fast-tracked onto the U.S. team very soon, possibly with a leading role on the 2028 Olympic team in between. Peyton Miller: The left wing/left back for the New England Revolution is also a top prospect who should be expected to be important to the Olympic team and the full national one in the coming years. Adri Mehmeti: The 17-year-old central midfielder is in the midst of a breakout season with the New York Red Bulls, where he has impressed with his passing and ability to read the game. He is still eligible for a lot of youth soccer, including two U-20 World Cups and two Olympics, but he has shown enough to be fast-tracked quickly. Julian Hall: Despite only being 18 years old, Hall already has 12 goals in all competitions this season for the New York Red Bulls. He is known for his sophisticated moves inside the attacking box to get on the end of passes for close-range goals. Mathis Albert: The Borussia Dortmund midfielder made his Bundesliga debut last season at just 16. He is now 17 and set to begin a full preseason with the club’s first team. He still needs to get out of the youth levels to be in the full national team, but that should happen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, there is the U.S. U-20 team and the Olympic team coming up where he should be a key player. Diego Kochen: The young Barcelona goalkeeper has spent time training with the full national team, and he is likely going to be the starter for the Olympic team. This will be a big upcoming year for Kochen, as he will be on loan with Lyngby, which was just promoted to the Danish Superliga. This will help him learn to deal with the responsibility of first-team minutes. Luca Bombino: The San Diego FC left back has an opening on the full national team as Antonee Robinson might show signs of aging in the coming years. Bombino does not have elite athleticism, but he is a very good player and was a key contributor to San Diego FC’s success in 2025. A veteran of the 2025 U-20 World Cup team, he is likely the frontrunner for the left-back job on the 2028 Olympic team. Cavan Sullivan: The Philadelphia Union playmaker will be heading to Manchester City in the coming years, and many have him pegged as a future U.S. national team mainstay. The 2025 U-17 World Cup showed his high-potential talent, and the 2027 U-20 World Cup and 2028 Olympics should be his next steps. He needs to aim for a big remainder of the year in 2026 for the Philadelphia Union. Neil Pierre: The U.S. national team desperately needs to have central defenders break through in the coming years, and Pierre, 18, is the top American teenager in that position. He spent last season on loan with Lyngby in Denmark, and he helped lead that team to promotion to the Superliga. Now he is back with the Philadelphia Union, where he is likely to play serious minutes the rest of 2026 and then play in the U-20 World Cup next year. Josh Wynder: The Benfica central defender made his first-team debut last year in a Cup game but also missed a lot of time due to injuries. Now 21, he needs to get himself into a place where he can play first-team minutes because he is aging out of “prospect” status. But he still has a high level of talent and the U.S. team needs central defenders. Wynder is likely a starter for the Olympic team.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports