Team USA’s FIFA World Cup run came to a crushing end with a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16.
Team USA was trailing 2-1 before goalie Matt Freese committed a blunder that will stick with him for a long time.
Belgium finds a third pic.twitter.com/0m1Hu4qzwR
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
Days after the crushing loss, Freese opened up about the play and the loss.
“It hurt. It was devastating,” Freese said, via Tom Bogert of The Athletic. “In that moment. In the hours and days after that.”
However, Freese says he will use that moment, as well as team USA manager Mauricio Pochettino’s postgame speech, as motivation going forward.
“In two years when you’re gearing up for the summer of 2028. You look to the memory of that when it’s 6 a.m. and your alarm clock goes off on a Tuesday when you try to be the first one in the facility,” Freese added.
Team USA began the World Cup with wins over Paraguay and Australia, and Freese allowed just one goal in those two matches. The Americans then lost to Turkey in the final group stage game before defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 2-0 win in the knockout stage.
The Americans are still trying to find a way to get to the quarterfinals, and the next chance to do so will be in the 2030 World Cup.
