Belgium beat the US men 4-1 in the World Cup, ending the Americans’ game in Seattle

Belgium won the US Men’s National Team 4-1 on Monday night at World Cup round of 16 playoff game in Seattle, ending the Americans’ hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.

The US started the match with the same XI that they faced Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32but Belgium quickly put the pressure on the Americans in the first few minutes of the first half, and Belgian midfielder Charles De Ketelaere put one in the back of the net in the ninth minute.

After a hydration break, the Americans regained their footing, and Malik Tillman even managed to score after half an hour with a free kick left on the Belgian player’s head.

The tie lasted almost two minutes with De Ketelaere sending the ball into the top corner. American coach Mauricio Pochettino showed his frustration by kicking a rack in front of the bench, sending four water bottles flying.

In the second half, Belgium came back with a lot of pressure on the Americans. When goalkeeper Matt Freese wandered too far into his area in the 56th minute, Hans Vanaken gave Belgium another chance to score.

The USMNT continued to struggle to find shots on target, as well as a star striker Christian Pulisic was forced out due to injury.

The US’s leading scorer Folarin Balogun – whose the suspension of the red card in the match has been lifted – tried to do something for the Americans when they went away, but a low shot near the goal was easily blocked by the Belgian defense and veteran goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Despite his expected presence, Balogun had little impact. His best chance came in the 82nd minute, when Courtois got in front of a left-footed effort. Balogun was later released during the suspension.

Belgium then nailed the US with a last minute goal.

Belgium also eliminated the Americans in the round of 16 in 2014. The team will face Spain on Friday in Inglewood, California, and the winner of that game will play in the semifinals against France or Morocco.

The Americans have dropped 11 of their last 12 games against European opposition, winning only their round of 32 game against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The heralded generation led by Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams partially achieved their goal of raising the standard of soccer closer to that of the NFL, MLB and NBA.

The US men last reached the quarterfinals in 2002 when they were eliminated by Germany.

Balogun, who played in the first World Cup for the Americans, became the first American player to score two goals in a game in this tournament since 1930. He finished the tournament with three goals, tying Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second most goals for America in the World Cup. Bert Patenaude holds the US record with four in the first tournament in 1930.