The co-hosts are out. The United States’ home World Cup ended in the Round of 16 with a chastening 4-1 defeat to Belgium at CenturyLink Field, Charles De Ketelaere’s brace setting the tone. Malik Tillman’s equaliser briefly gave hope, but Belgium were far too strong. Here are our USA player ratings. For more, see our World Cup 2026 hub.
Key match stats
| Stat | USA | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 7 | 15 |
| Shots on target | 2 | 7 |
USA player ratings vs Belgium
- GK — Matt Freese: 4.5/10 — Beaten four times on a night to forget, though he had little protection.
- RB — Alex Freeman: 6/10 — One of the few positives, getting off two shots and completing three dribbles.
- CB — Chris Richards: 5/10 — Overrun as Belgium sliced through.
- CB — Tim Ream: 5/10 — A chastening night for the veteran against a slick attack.
- LB — Antonee Robinson: 5.5/10 — Battled down the left but got little joy.
- DM — Tyler Adams: 5.5/10 — Tried to stem the tide before being withdrawn.
- CM — Weston McKennie: 5.5/10 — Busy across 90 minutes but could not get a grip on midfield.
- CM — Malik Tillman: 6.5/10 — The USA’s bright spark, levelling on 31 minutes for the equaliser.
- RW — Sergiño Dest: 5/10 — Struggled and was hooked at half-time.
- LW — Christian Pulisic: 5.5/10 — Quiet by his standards before being withdrawn on 59 minutes.
- ST — Folarin Balogun: 6/10 — Led the line willingly and the USA’s most threatening with three shots.
Substitutes
- Gio Reyna: 5.5/10 — Introduced at half-time and tried to make things happen.
- Sebastian Berhalter: 5.5/10 — Fresh legs with a shot.
- Ricardo Pepi: 5.5/10 — A late runout up front.
USA vs Belgium: how it unfolded
Belgium struck early through Charles De Ketelaere on nine minutes, and although Malik Tillman levelled on 31, De Ketelaere restored the lead two minutes later for a 2-1 half-time cushion. Hans Vanaken made it three on 57 and Romelu Lukaku added a fourth deep in stoppage time. Belgium out-shot the USA 15-7 and march into the quarter-finals; the co-hosts’ home World Cup ends in the last 16.
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Belgium beat the USA 4-1 in the World Cup 2026 Round of 16.
Malik Tillman scored the USA’s goal, a 31st-minute equaliser. Charles De Ketelaere (two), Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku scored for Belgium.
Yes. The co-hosts were beaten 4-1 by Belgium in the Round of 16, ending their home World Cup in the last 16.
Malik Tillman caught the eye with the equaliser, while right-back Alex Freeman was lively with two shots and three dribbles.