Pochettino unsure about USA future after co-hosts crash out of World Cup
Coach of the United States Men National Team (USMNT) Mauricio Pochettino says he is unsure about his future at the helm after his team’s disappointing 4-1 loss to Belguim in a World Cup Round of 16 encounter.
Pochettino who was speaking with newsmen after the game played at the Seattle Stadium said that he is going to relax and rest at the moment and wait for US football federation to make a decision on his future.
He said, “I will now rest and relax a bit, we’ll see what the decision is from the federation and from us.
“I can just say that I’m happy here. But it’s not time to talk about the contract”.
Coach of the Belgium national team, Roberto Garcia noted that the pre-match controversy which saw FIFA controversially reverse Folarin Balogun’s red card did not affect his team’s game plan.
However, Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said his team felt a “sense of injustice” over Balogun’s one-match ban being suspended by FIFA.
“A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days,”said Belgium and Rangers midfielder Raskin.
“There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field.”
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Belgium got the first goal of the game in the 9th minute when Atalanta winger Charles De Ketelaere scored for his team but the USA replied minutes later when Malik Tillman equalized for the U.S. with a deflected free-kick in the 31st minute.
However, Belgium replied just 61 seconds later, when De Ketelaere struck again to restore Belgium’s lead before halftime. A major second-half blunder by U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed Hans Vanaken to slide in a third goal.
Belgium made sure the USA could not find a way back into the game when Romelu Lukaku sealed the 4-1 victory in stoppage time to send his team to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Belgium’s next game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) against Spain in the quarter-finals.
Key match statistics: USA Vs Belgium
Possession: USA 56% – Belgium 44%
Total Shots: USA 7 – Belgium 15
Shots on Goal: USA 2 – Belgium 7
Big Chances Created: USA 0 – Belgium 4
Accurate Passes: USA 458 (87%) – Belgium 332 (81%)
Duels Won: USA 50 – Belgium 56
Fouls Committed: USA 11 – Belgium 9
Yellow Cards: USA 2 – Belgium 0
