US World Cup Exit Leaves Questions
On Monday night, former U.S. national team player and current Fox analyst Alexi Lalas expressed that the exit from the World Cup “left us with questions.”
After suffering a disappointing 4-1 defeat against Belgium, Lalas pointed out that while the U.S. squad impressed many during their journey to the Round of 16, the era of small victories may now be behind them.
“There’s also a part of me that thinks the era of moral victories is over,” Lalas said post-game. “We left something to be desired here, and that’s disappointing for me. I also know, watching this game, that it’s going to be disappointing for the players and for Mauricio Pochettino. They conceded goals at times that were self-inflicted against stronger teams, but this American team has beaten better teams before.”
Throughout the match, the U.S. team appeared unsettled, as Belgium quickly took the lead and maintained pressure for the entire 90-plus minutes in Seattle.
Even after the Americans equalized, they struggled to gain any momentum, with Belgium swiftly reclaiming their lead.
“It felt like we lost the game before they even took the field,” commented analyst Carli Lloyd. “I don’t know why, but right from the beginning, it just felt like we were tentative. I was scared, and I just didn’t have confidence on the ball. I think the big players needed to step up in those crucial moments.”
Lloyd went on to highlight Christian Pulisic’s performance, noting he lost possession 11 times during his 45 minutes on the field. A video of Pulisic’s sluggish reaction after Belgium’s third goal circulated widely after the match.
“I’m a little disappointed with Christian Pulisic. Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, I don’t think we expected enough from him in this game,” she added. “And really the whole World Cup. There were only glimpses here and there.”
The bigger question now for the United States is what the next steps will be moving forward.
For the time being, the sting from Monday night’s loss will linger for a while.
