SEATTLE — The U.S. men’s national team deserved a better ending than this.
Not the loss itself, which ended their World Cup run in the round of 16 on Monday. That defeat they earned. After weeks of raising expectations, they finally looked like the team critics feared they would become — tentative, sloppy, and unprepared for a battle with a top European side. Even Belgium, a team that has looked fragile in this tournament and was missing two regular starters in Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, made easy work of the U.S. defense. They could have scored two more goals in the first half alone.
The brief joy of Malik Tillman’s equalizer in the 31st minute evaporated within two minutes, as Charles De Ketelaere netted his second goal of the night to put Belgium back in control.
These are professionals, and it’s their job to show up for a game that could have reshaped soccer in the United States for decades. But their struggles may also be tied to a firestorm that engulfed the team in the final days — through no fault of their own.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee overturned Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, allowing him to play against Belgium. The decision came less than 36 hours before kickoff. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia called it an April Fool’s joke. Norway coach Stale Solbakken labeled it a “big mistake.” Then it emerged that President Donald Trump, who has long treated FIFA president Gianni Infantino as an ally, had intervened.
Infantino and FIFA insisted Trump’s phone call didn’t sway the committee. But anyone who buys that is dreaming.
Suddenly, the USMNT became a political football. All the goodwill built over the past month was overshadowed by the stench of Trump’s meddling. This wasn’t a debate about whether Balogun’s suspension should have been lifted. It became an existential clash for fans who had fallen for this team because they saw it as wholesome and a reflection of America. Now, it felt co-opted by Trump.
The USMNT’s success was tangled with the president, and the noise was deafening.
Athletes are supposed to tune out distractions. But a home World Cup is a blessing and a curse. The team was on heavy rotation on TV and social media. Asking players to ignore the Trump controversy and its implications would have been like asking them not to breathe.
Of course, that had an impact.
If the players had spent the days after Balogun’s red card complaining, this would be a different story. Instead, they were mature and refused to play the victim. Balogun even shook the referee’s hand after the game.
“I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion,” Balogun said Friday. “There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust.”
And yet, they were still dragged into the muck, as if they had dialed Infantino’s number themselves.
The USMNT took the country on a hell of a ride at this World Cup. It’s a shame it ended in a trainwreck.
