US coach Mauricio Pochettino said his team needs no excuses after their 4-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16. He dismissed the Folarin Balogun controversy’s impact, stating Belgium was simply the better team on the day.
United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino dismissed suggestions that the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun had any impact on his side’s performance, saying Belgium deserved their victory after eliminating the hosts from the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to The Athletic.
Speaking at his post-match press conference following the USA’s 4-1 defeat in the Round of 16, Pochettino said his team did not need to look for excuses and acknowledged that Belgium outplayed them on the day. “It’s difficult to make a comment. We were not good enough today, we don’t need to find another excuse. It wasn’t a situation that affected us in the group. All the team can have one day you don’t perform. Today was this type of day. Belgium were better than us. That’s it. It’s very clear,” Pochettino said, as quoted by The Athletic.
Balogun Eligibility Controversy
FIFA had earlier dismissed Belgium’s challenge over the eligibility of Folarin Balogun after world football’s governing body suspended the United States forward’s one-match ban ahead of the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between the two sides. Balogun was shown a red card in the 64th minute of the United States’ 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Belgium Secures Quarter-Final Spot
Coming to the match, Belgium stormed into the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 4-1 victory over the hosts, the United States, at Seattle Stadium. Charles De Ketelaere starred with a brace to earn the Player of the Match award, while Hans Vanaken scored his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike, marking his third consecutive World Cup match with a goal. Belgium dominated much of the contest despite the USA briefly equalising through Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick. A costly goalkeeping error by Matt Freese allowed Belgium to extend their lead before Lukaku sealed the emphatic win late on.
The defeat ended the United States’ campaign, making them the last of the three co-host nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico. Belgium will next face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10 after the Spanish side knocked out Portugal in the Round of 16.
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