The United States’ World Cup dream fizzled out in spectacularly shambolic fashion in the early hours of Tuesday morning, as Belgium thrashed the co-hosts 4-1 in Seattle – their heaviest defeat since 1990. The lively atmosphere that had characterised their previous games fell flat long before the final whistle, with Belgium’s fourth goal prompting streams of fans to leave the stadium.
The collapse capped a whirlwind few days dominated by Fifa’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card from the previous round, allowing the striker to start. Balogun had been shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic. Fifa shocked the football world by suspending the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, drawing widespread criticism from Uefa, Belgium and England boss Thomas Tuchel.
“US lose 4-1 to Belgium in last-16 after Trump-Balogun red card saga overshadows tournament.”
The issue went right to the top of US politics, with President Donald Trump saying on Monday that he had asked about the matter. The i newspaper reported that Trump boasted of his intervention, and Senator Cruz thanked him for changing Fifa’s mind. Mauricio Pochettino, the US manager, said he felt “disappointed with too many people” who brought “politics and manipulation” into the game.
Did the red card saga play a part? Belgium full-back Timothy Castagne said before the match: “It’s great to have the world on our side against the United States.” Balogun himself said he was not surprised the decision was “controversial”. “I accepted the decision when I was given the red card, and then I also accepted the decision when I was told I could play,” he said. “There’s not too much else I can really say on the matter.”
The US had earlier shed their underdog mentality under Pochettino, playing with an arrogant swagger that had fans believing they could win the tournament. One supporter predicted before the match: “We’re going to win the World Cup.” But the 4-1 defeat – sealed by a calamitous third goal where goalkeeper Matt Freese got tangled up with a Belgian player – left their legacy tarnished. The overriding memory of their tournament will now be the political interference and the red card saga, not the football.