USMNT player ratings: Awful performances from Puli...

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ClarkJul 6, 2026, 10:14 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFor the fourth time in the last five World Cups, the U.

S. men's national team met their end in the round of 16, this time with a 4-1 loss on Monday to Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle.Belgium took a 1-0 lead through Charles De Ketelaere scoring in the first nine minutes.

That not only placed the U.S. in a hole but it left the Americans faced with the difficult prospect of trying to force a comeback in a knockout stage match.

The U.S. entered Monday with a 0-0-7 record in World Cup knockout games after giving up the first goal.

Although Malik Tillman's free kick tied the match in the 31st minute, it was De Ketelaere who struck again two minutes later for a 2-1 lead before Matt Freese's second-half miscue saw the Belgians take a 3-1 lead.Here's a look at how it all went wrong in what ended up being the USMNT's final match of the 2026 World Cup.Manager rating (out of 10)Mauricio Pochettino, 5 -- Belgium opening with six shots in the first 11 minutes was a sign that the U.

S. was going to be forced to defend quite a bit. And that was the case.

What also didn't help was how the Americans struggled at times to control possession. Pochettino made the decision at half to bring on Gio Reyna with the hope it would lead to a spark. There were times when the U.

S. tried to find an equalizer but Freese's mistake in the second half only made it more challenging.Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)GK Matt Freese, 2 -- His decisions came under question early and often.

It started with how he misread the sequence that saw the Belgians take a 1-0 lead through Charles De Ketelaere's first goal. It proved costly again when De Ketelaere's second goal was a header that caught Freese out of position. Then there was the blunder that saw him try to play the ball only to have it deflect off De Ketelaere and make its way to Hans Vanaken for a fatal goal.

RB Alex Freeman, 3 -- Both The Red Devils' goals in the first half came on the right. Freeman got in front of the initial ball before a deflection saw the Belgians recover that led to the first goal. Yet the second goal Belgium scored saw Freeman come over a bit too late to help Sergino Dest just as Leandro Trossard's cross set up De Ketelaere's second salvo.

He failed to capitalize on an excellent cross from Tyler Adams at one point that put him through on goal.CB Chris Richards, 3 -- Richards was part of the group of U.S.

players that was either caught watching or out of position on Belgium's first goal. The same thing happened again when he struggled to fend off Romelu Lukaku with the hulking forward taking advantage of a misplayed ball for a 4-0 lead.CB Tim Ream, 3 -- He was the last defender that was directly in front of De Ketelaere before the Atalanta forward scored his first.

Ream was in that position again