For much of the star’s career, this tournament has been held as his potential pinnacle. Instead much of the USMNT’s success came without his involvement

More than two hours of tense, tentative, and ludicrously goal-free football. My first take from the truly wonderful BC Place, which said a very long goodbye to the World Cup: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

What is up with teams at this World Cup leaning on timid center-backs early in shootouts?

🔳

Now a seamless reference to Tim Wakefield. Darren Fletcher is in rare form right now.

“VAR is the bane of my life”

Realized I had half mybbottle of water left as I got to Sea-Tac, then realized I hadn’t drank enough today. Stood outside the queue finishing it instead of dumping it. Can’t even escape hydration breaks in the TSA. Tough.

Egypt wearing Falcons colors in Atlanta and holding a big lead in the fourth quarter makes me a bit nervous.

Box office. Nothing short of cinema.

Walked eight minutes to find lunch and it’s tied?

how it feels to root for egypt rn

BALL DON’T LIE

This Egypt team is so deserving. Saw them start the group stage and they were much more cohesive than in recent tournaments, unfortunate to not have beaten Belgium. Today, so far, probably serves as a good consolation.

NEW: As the USMNT saw their last-16 bout slip away, Christian Pulisic watched on from the bench. What was supposed to be a career-defining World Cup has suddenly drifted into his rearview with him having barely made a mark. Career-defining, indeed. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Chat, it’s almost 4a local. Has fifa overturned the result yet?

"We played well in the other games. We were very intense, we were able to generate energy with the crowd and today we didn't give the crowd a lot to cheer for. That's the most disappointing thing and that's the part that hurts the most for me, personally." - Folarin Balogun

The United States’ quest to get Folarin Balogun’s red card overturned may have opened a Pandora’s box – one specifically designed to contain the national team’s worst nightmares. My report on that disaster: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

With additional thought: Belgium played like a team that stuck by its preparation throughout the past few days. The USMNT played like a team threw its gameplan in the bin and tried to reheat leftover ideas, but ultimately undercooked the execution.

I'm so disillusioned, I almost don't even care who gets the FIFA Peace Prize next year

Hard to overstate how much the day-before drama threw off momentum. Smiles aplenty before training, but this team looked so lost after conceding today and fell off fast after Matt Freese’s all-timer. Another World Cup last-16 exit for the USMNT. A lot to unpack in the hours and days ahead.

Desperate to wake this crowd up, Eddie Vedder just chugged his beer on the big screen while a Pearl Jam track plays.

Doku and Lukaku about to check in.

More like Matt Frozen

Gio Reyna coming in for Sergiño Dest to start the second half.

First time this USMNT has looked overmatched at this World Cup. Just so sloppy in transition phases where Senegal feasted against Belgium. Fortunate to still be within a goal given Belgium’s ownership of the match. Dest had been especially poor, would swap him out personally.

Honestly a marvel the US enters this hydration break only down one. Really struggling to string together more than a few passes per sequence.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT WE ARE LIVE?! www.theguardian.com/football/liv...

The official lineups have confirmed a shocker: Belgium will kick off with Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench. Oh, and Folarin Balogun starts for the USA.

Take a sec for this pregame read from the excellent @jeffrueter.bsky.social #USMNT

Folarin Balogun was also fined $40,000, more popularly known as "slightly more than one year's salary for a nights & weekends soccer editor at Sports Illustrated in 2013."

Next up: the United States men’s national team.

All of Portugal defended that free kick with the work rate of their captain.

“Could be big” is a hell of an understatement. Mendes was one of the few LBs in this tournament who can slow Yamal in stride.

Another plug for my tactical guide to Belgium-USA ahead of this evening’s World Cup last-16 match. Belgium has struggled to make the most of their sequences and field tilt, and Mehdi Taremi kept their defense in two minds. Onus on Garcia to adapt accordingly. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

PODCAST: I joined @theguardian.com’s Today In Focus to talk big-picture about the 2026 World Cup. The melting pot nature, this USMNT’s pull, Trump/Infantino, “soccer”, US fan chanting, hydration breaks, and so much more. (Recorded before red card reversal) www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

Both of these - pushed by the FIFA Media App - redirect to X, which feels about right.

US president Donald Trump has done the whole of American soccer a disservice by involving himself in the Balogun red card saga. It's an unsusprising overreach that confirms the negative perceptions many already have about the USA. Me, on @us.theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Mexico really should’ve prevented another of England’s goals, but they didn’t get the Memo.

I just can’t figure out what Mexico has been going for since the send-off. So timid, so much less confident going forward than when it was 11v11. Last chance saloon now.

First half hydration break was apparently nothing but mezcal.

First half hydration break was apparently nothing but mezcal.

Just have the king make a phone call m8

I’ve seen’m given for less.

this is great reporting on what has honestly turned into a very embarrassing story www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

Watching this game at altitude (I’m on a barstool and my friends found chairs)

Mexico has gotta get Quiñones in isolation against Quanseh more often moving forward. Clearest mismatch and the man’s feeling it with a finish like that.

That’s dos a cero m8

Armchair Analyst: With 24 hours to go, it's time to talk tactics, a chance to make history, and the chance to get a little bit of revenge. USMNT vs. Belgium. Again. With history on the line, and that big orange bastard overshadowing everything. tacticsfreezone.ghost.io/tactical-pre...

Ah, one of the finest World Cup customs: the montage of crying Brazilian children.

NEW: “I didn't know that July 5 was equal to April 1 at Fifa,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said after Fifa axed Folarin Balogun's suspension. "The federation does not defend itself – it defends football in general. It defends its integrity. It defends its ethics.” www.theguardian.com/football/202...