2026 World Cup: Pulisic Ended It in the Worst Possible Way
“We truly believe we can win this World Cup.” On the eve of the Round of 16 match against Belgium, Christian Pulisic made no secret of his optimism. It wasn’t clear where it came from, but the field made it clear that it was frankly overblown: in Seattle, the Red Devils defeated the North Americans by a resounding 4-1. It was a night to forget for the Milan player: in the second half, he was forced to limp off the field after suffering an awkward injury when he kicked an opponent’s foot.
The match had immediately taken a turn for the worse for the home team. Timothy Castagne had already put American goalkeeper Freese on edge with a spectacular chance before Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring. The United States had briefly tied the game with a free kick by Malik Tillman, but Belgium’s response was immediate, with De Ketelaere scoring twice. In the second half, Hans Vanaken capitalized on a serious mistake by the American goalkeeper off an assist from De Ketelaere himself to make it 3-1, before Romelu Lukaku sealed the victory for good in the closing minutes.
The sensational reprieve granted by FIFA to Folarin Balogun—the U.S. forward who had been sent off in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina for a tackle on Muharemovic and was supposed to serve an automatic one-game suspension—proved to be of no use. Instead, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee had decided to suspend the sanction by applying Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code—an unprecedented move in World Cup history that had sparked a diplomatic and sporting uproar. Balogun therefore took the field against Belgium, but it wasn’t enough: the Red Devils overwhelmed them anyway.
With this victory, Rudi Garcia’s Belgium earned a spot in the quarterfinals against Spain, which eliminated Portugal with a narrow win in the Iberian derby. The United States thus exits the tournament along with the other two host nations: Canada had been crushed by Morocco, and Mexico was eliminated by Harry Kane’s England. A far from brilliant showing for those who had bet on home-field advantage.
