US Team Falls Short in World Cup Round of 16
The US men's soccer team's World Cup run has come to an end after a 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday, a result that has left former player Stu Holden feeling underwhelmed. Holden expressed his disappointment with the team's performance, saying it's a familiar feeling for the US team.
"It's a familiar feeling. We've been here before. I think that's the most disheartening part of this because we get wrapped up in the moment," Holden said on FOX Sports' "World Cup Now."
"We become big fans of this team, the way they played, their personalities, their stories. We've seen a lot of these guys come up through MLS academies. There's a lot of good players out there, and we want so much more for them. I wanted nothing more for these guys than to win."
Despite the loss, the US team had shown promising signs earlier in the tournament, winning three of its four matches and proving it could play through adversity. However, the team fell short against Belgium, with three of the four goals allowed coming after turnovers in its own lower third.
Holden believed that the spotlight was too bright for the US team, and players like star midfielder Christian Pulisic had a tough night. "We just didn't get big games from our big players tonight. Pulisic had a really tough night, a really tough night," Holden said.
"Even from the first minute of the game ... Pulisic's first five touches, three of them were turnovers. He looked like the moment was too big for him. I thought this was going to be a big game for him, and it just wasn't."
The loss adds to the narrative that the US team has a ways to go to be considered among the top teams in the world. With its three victories coming against teams ranked outside the top 25, the US team's performance against higher-ranked teams like Belgium is a concern.
"Unfortunately, we are who we thought we were. We said coming into this tournament that we hoped we could get to a quarterfinal. We could've. But we said the round of 16 was probably the realistic expectation," Holden said.
