Belgium ends USMNT run with 4-1 World Cup knockout win

The USMNT is out of the World Cup after losing 4-1 to Belgium in the round of 16. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku added second-half goals as Belgium punished repeated U.S. mistakes.

Malik Tillman briefly brought the Americans level with a deflected free kick, but Belgium answered almost immediately through De Ketelaere’s second goal. From there, the U.S. struggled to regain control, and Matt Freese’s error outside his area led directly to Vanaken’s long-range finish.

The result continues a familiar pattern for the U.S., which has now gone out at the round-of-16 stage in four of the past five World Cups it has played. Folarin Balogun returned to the attack, but the source report describes a flat collective performance, with Christian Pulisic losing possession frequently in the first half and Sergiño Dest replaced at halftime.

For editors, the broader angle is less about one bad night and more about the gap between rising expectations and knockout-stage execution. The U.S. had built momentum earlier in the tournament, but Belgium’s pressure, finishing and exploitation of defensive lapses turned this into a clear exit rather than a narrow elimination.