When the hype met reality: Why the U.S. World Cup run ended against Belgium

The soundtrack surrounding the United States’ World Cup on home soil was impossible to escape. Television adverts ​urged fans to believe in miracles.

Marketing campaigns promised destiny. Every setback was framed as the prelude to a triumph. But after a 4-1 humbling by Belgium, all that ‌talk of belief gave way to a simpler reality: the co-hosts were beaten by a better team.

The temptation after any major tournament exit is to search for the explanation that best fits the narrative. Did Donald Trump’s intervention over Folarin Balogun become an unwelcome distraction? Did the weight of expectation become too heavy? Did the relentless optimism create pressure that was impossible to fulfil?

But when the noise subsides, the evidence points somewhere rather less dramatic.

Sometimes, despite all ​the “Yes we can” rhetoric, the answer is simply: no, we can’t.

The live FIFA rankings had the United States 16th and Belgium eighth going into the knockout match. The team ​ranked 16th in the world reached the last 16 before losing heavily to the side ranked eighth. That is disappointing for the hosts, but ⁠not especially surprising. Strip away the advertising campaigns, the political drama and the emotion, and the outcome looks entirely consistent with the balance between the two teams.

The Americans had captured the nation's ​imagination by topping their group ahead of Australia, Paraguay and Turkey, and beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last-32 but, once the whistle blew on Monday, the gulf between them and Belgium quickly became ​apparent.

The political and disciplinary storm surrounding Balogun dominated the build-up after Trump urged FIFA to review his case, the governing body suspended the striker’s ban and Belgium’s appeal failed. Once the match began, however, Balogun became little more than a footnote.

Belgium’s players appeared bemused by the confidence surrounding the United States before the match.

“In recent days, we have been disrespected here in the United States. It was being said that they could beat us ​easily, but I think today we showed that we are a good team,” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said.

“I understand that they want to hype America, but I felt a little more certain today ​that we were going to win than against Senegal. I think Senegal is a better team than the United States.”

Belgium - who beat Senegal 3-2 in the round of 32 - looked every inch a side capable of going ‌deep into ⁠the tournament. Even with top players Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku starting on the bench, they controlled the match from beginning to end.

The United States "lost the game before they even stepped out onto the pitch... From the beginning, they were chasing, tentative, scared and just not confident on the ball," twice World Cup winner Carli Lloyd said on Fox Sports.

"I was a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic. Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn't see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup." Against ​Belgium, AC Milan winger Pulisic lost possession 11 ​times in the first half alone.

Belgium had also ⁠beaten the United States 5-2 in a friendly earlier this year, a result that may have lingered in the minds of the U.S. players, even if it had been forgotten by the fans. Courtois said Belgium’s plan had been to exploit any psychological advantage from the outset.

“We wanted to pin ​the United States back from the start,” Courtois said. “Then they started to doubt themselves.”

The Belgians rubbed salt in the wound with a viral social ​media post reading "Overturn this," ⁠while the squad was filmed mimicking Trump's 'YMCA' dance in the dressing room.

The elimination extends a frustrating pattern for the U.S., who have now been knocked out in the last-16 at every World Cup since 2010, excluding 2018 when they failed to qualify.

But Lloyd remained optimistic and said it had been a "fantastic World Cup" for the United States.

"This team has united the country," she added. "They have gotten American fans ⁠to fall ​in love with them and there is a bright future."

The United States is still hosting a memorable World Cup. Its men’s ​national team has reignited interest in the sport and given supporters reason for optimism. Match attendances have been huge and television audiences broke records.

Those achievements, however, should not obscure a simpler sporting reality: this was a side that broadly performed in ​line with its place in the world game before being beaten convincingly by a stronger side.