The morning after the night before, USA captain Tim Ream wandered along the waterfront in downtown Seattle. He was with his wife, Kristen, and their three children. They were headed toward the aquarium.
Before reaching Ocean Pavilion, however, the Reams stopped for a chat with Matt Turner. The USMNT goalkeeper was off in the opposite direction with his young daughter, Everley. Their destination? The children’s play area.
A short time earlier, not far away, another member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team stood in line at a café for breakfast. Alejandro Zendejas was rolling a suitcase and flanked by his parents. It has been a draining few weeks flying up and down the West Coast. Now they have bags to pack and heartbreak to process. On days like these, family time is particularly precious.
Around 17 hours had passed since Romelu Lukaku curled the ball past Matt Freese, pulled out the Trump Dance and put the finishing touches to America’s World Cup humiliation. For Pochettino’s players, normal life returned with a painful, jarring jolt.
In the biggest game of their lives, on the most important night in US soccer history, in front of another record TV audience, against the first elite team they faced, after four performances that fizzed with energy and dynamism and intensity, the US crumbled in Seattle. From one to 11.
Sure, that 4-1 loss alone will not erase all the memories this team created over these four weeks, when they captivated a nation and made Americans dream. But it will raise a lot of uncomfortable questions: about Pochettino’s future, about the hype around this so-called Golden Generation, about the legacy this World Cup will leave, and about how much damage was done by President Trump’s decision to pick up the phone and provoke a global scandal.
At least one prominent figure had long been concerned that this team was vulnerable. That they needed more protection. But until Monday night in Seattle, those fears centered around security and safety from possible attacks at the team hotel. In the end, disaster struck on the field instead. How Belgium, Iran and Trump’s critics enjoyed it.
The USMNT’s World Cup campaign came crashing down after a 4-1 defeat by Belgium
The defeat will lead to serious questions about the future of manager Mauricio Pochettino
Before the United States kicked a ball in this World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino and his players gathered around a bonfire.
It’s said every single member of staff was there, too, and together they discussed what it meant to be part of this group. Players offered their two cents and signed jerseys for the support team that would carry them over the coming weeks. It all formed part of Pochettino’s very deliberate plan to shift the culture around this USMNT and to forge a togetherness that could drag them to uncharted waters. It seemed to have paid off.
But then, on a sobering night in Seattle, the USA’s World Cup campaign went up in flames. Unity was not the issue against Belgium. It was quality and it will take more than one night around the fire to sift through the wreckage of this defeat.
Following the final whistle, Pochettino gathered his players in a huddle once more. They prayed together but first they listened to their manager.
‘He was proud of us,’ defender Alex Freeman revealed. ‘We showed we wanted to fight this whole tournament. We were able to be successful… we had a whole country behind us. Knowing that we had that support shows that we were doing something right.’
The manager shared those sentiments with the world a few minutes later. ‘We are very proud of our whole campaign today, we have really enjoyed being together,’ Pochettino said.
But he also admitted: ‘Today we were not the same team that we have seen in the tournament. It was a very bad day… every team can have one day when you don’t perform and nothing is right for you and that was this type of day.’
The question is why. Perhaps we will never know how much Pochettino’s players were affected by all the mayhem and noise that preceded this game. At first, FIFA’s controversial decision to allow Folarin Balogun to face Belgium – despite his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina – appeared to be a huge fillip for the USMNT.
FIFA let Folarin Balogun face Belgium despite his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Donald Trump called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to ask him to suspend the one-match ban
Then it emerged that President Trump had waded in and all of a sudden, Pochettino’s players were engulfed in scandal. Furious attacks rained in from Belgium and across much of the world.
Balogun, the US’ top scorer at this World Cup, became a reluctant lightning rod for questions about Gianni Infantino’s future, FIFA’s relationship with the White House and Trump’s willingness to meddle in sports. In coffee shops and hotels and on the streets around Seattle on the morning of Monday’s game, conversations about Balogun’s reprieve were unrelenting.
And yet? Pochettino’s players insisted that they remained insulated from all that noise. ‘It had no impact,’ captain Tim Ream said. ‘[We were] not really worried about what was being said or debated in the outside world.’
Pochettino vented about some of the attacks that came his way over the whole saga. ‘What is the point to insult or to receive bad messages or threats?’ he said. ‘I feel disappointed with so many people, they mixed things, they can put political things and manipulation, talking about ethics and integrity.’
But the manager insisted: ‘It didn’t affect the performance… it’s not an excuse.’
For Balogun, however, the lines were rather more blurred. ‘The feeling of disappointment is very difficult to put into words,’ he said. ‘Also the situation I’ve been involved in is also going to present different challenges. So it’s just important for me to be able to gather my thoughts, and then, at the right time, I’m sure I’ll be able to speak on the topic in a clearer light.’
There was a cruel irony in how it all unfolded. Because, for a long time, Pochettino had worked hard to insulate his team from politics and all the controversies surrounding this tournament: ticket prices, FIFA, Iran.
Many wondered if that was possible. Many feared that all the geopolitical turbulence of recent months could – at worst – provoke one of America’s enemies to bring bloodshed to the World Cup. Those concerns were shared by at least one senior figure with ties to the USMNT.
Christian Pulisic’s body betrayed him once more during this World Cup on home soil
Goalkeeper Matt Freese made a disastrous error during the round-of-16 game in Seattle
For much of the past few weeks, Pochettino and his players were based atop the cliffs near Laguna Beach. Several police officers were on site at all times and the team was often secluded from other guests, protected by extra security.
But there was no one patrolling the waters below, while anyone could wander into reception at any time. Thankfully, the US’ campaign passed safely, if not entirely smoothly.
Half of Pochettino’s squad had played at a World Cup before this. The manager had, too – for Argentina in 2002. That ended in disaster and this was Pochettino’s first taste of coaching on the biggest stage of international football. So he turned to Tata Martino, his compatriot who has coached at a couple of World Cups, for advice.
Pochettino needed to learn how to streamline his methods. Unlike in club soccer, time on the training ground with his players was now rare. The early evidence of this summer, however, suggested his message was being heard loud and clear. The USA played with a speed and clarity that is rare among international teams. And then it all came crashing down.
Ahead of the tournament, a source close to the team privately voiced the same concern that many felt about this team: for all its attacking talents, the defense and goalkeeper could prove its Achilles heel. Against Belgium, Pochettino’s backline folded.
Ream, Freese and Chris Richards all made bad errors. But everyone struggled including Christian Pulisic, whose body betrayed him once more. This summer was supposed to be the apex for ‘Captain America.’ Instead it ended in pain and heartbreak.
Pochettino, meanwhile, had been hired for nights such as this. One of the billionaires who bankrolled his $6million-a-year deal was among the crowd in Seattle. A contract extension is on the table for Pochettino to stay beyond this summer.
The first few weeks of this tournament served as a reminder of why he is so highly regarded around the world. Which makes this defeat all the more inexplicable and damaging.
Pochettino consoles defender Chris Richards following the devastating defeat by Belgium
Pochettino suggested a decision on his future will wait until the dust has settled on this defeat. In a statement on Tuesday, US Soccer said: ‘We had positive conversations with Mauricio before the World Cup about the future. We agreed we would continue those conversations following a chance to rest and reflect post World Cup.
‘We have a great deal of respect and gratitude for Mauricio, his staff and everyone part of the program. We have shared excitement about our potential and also shared clarity about the amount of work at all levels still required to achieve our ambition.’
There aren’t many obvious jobs available at the moment. Pochettino has made no secret of his desire to return to England one day. But the Argentine has grown to love America, too.
Shortly after being appointed in 2024, he headed to Shellback Tavern – a popular hangout for athletes and celebrities near the Hollywood hills. Pochettino was given one of the bar’s signature caps and the plan was always to be back in LA this week for a World Cup quarterfinal. Alas, Belgium had other ideas.
