World Cup: Belgium eliminates blunder-plagued USA in Round of 16

July 6 (UPI) -- Belgians blazed through tackles, overwhelmed with their technique and punished the Americans for bountiful brutal blunders, dominating in the World Cup's Round of 16 on Monday in Seattle.

Forward Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in the 4-1 triumph. The Belgians held a 15-7 shot advantage on the Americans, who failed in their quest to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

"Everyone saw, from the beginning, we didn't connect with the game," United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said on the Fox broadcast.

The No. 8 Belgians advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will meet third-ranked Spain on Friday in Inglewood, Calif.

Pochettino's crew will sit and watch the remainder of the tournament after an inspired run, which featured an American World Cup record three victories, but also resulted in the United States' fourth consecutive Round of 16 departure.

"Congratulate Belgium," Pochettino said. "They were better than us. It wasn't our day. Not to find excuses or arguments, because we didn't show what normally we showed. That is the reality."

U.S. goalie Matt Freese was spectacular early on, with a full-extension save denying the Red Devils' first shot. But the No. 16 Americans were eventually overpowered by a superior Belgian rhythm, athleticism and aggression.

They drew first blood off a failed American clearance in the ninth minute. Midfielder Nicolas Raskin brought down the ball in the box, dribbled through traffic and sent a pass across the face of the goal. De Ketelaere slashed in for a one-touch finish behind Freese to finish that play.

American midfielder Malik Tillman answered with a free kick score for the second consecutive game. He netted that equalizer, which deflected off the head of midfielder Hans Vanaken, in the 31st minute.

But Belgium answered quickly, jumping ahead on a header from De Ketelaere less than two minutes later. Forward Leandro Trossard set up the score with a chipped cross toward the back post. De Ketelaere out-jumped defender Tim Ream and found the net with a flicked header into the right side of the goal.

The Americans attempted to rally in the second half and appeared to be gaining momentum, but another gaffe effectively put the game out of reach. Freese fielded a long ball outside the box at the beginning of that play. De Ketelaere pressured the U.S. goalie and deflected a pass onto Vanaken, who fired a one-touch shot past Ream and into the net.

Romelu Lukaku netted the clincher in the 93rd minute. The veteran forward took advantage of yet another American error for the Red Devils' fourth score. He gained possession off a failed clearance inside the box, turned and laced a right-footed shot past a diving Freese.

The Americans held a 56% to 44% advantage in possession on the Red Devils. They also led their foes 527-410 in passes.

Star forward Christian Pulisic, the Americans' active leader in international scores, failed to find the net at the 2026 World Cup. His tournament run ended when he limped off the field with an injury in the 59th minute.

"It's a process to learn," Pochettino said. "We need to assess our game and see why we didn't approach the game the same way we did the rest of the World Cup."

The Red Devils will meet the Spaniards at 3 p.m. EDT Friday at Los Angeles Stadium. The winner will take on top-ranked France or No. 6 Morocco in a semifinal July 14 in Arlington, Texas.