US WCup Soccer

United States' Folarin Balogun (20) attends a training session ahead of their World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Belgium in Seattle, Sunday, July 5, 2026.

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Belgium beats US 4-1 to reach World Cup quarterfinals, taking advantage of defensive lapses

Belgium beats US 4-1 to reach World Cup quarterfinals, taking advantage of defensive lapses

The United States’ hopes for a deep World Cup run at home ended when Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and assisted on another goal, helping Belgium expose the Americans’ defensive liabilities in a 4-1 win Monday night that earned a quarterfinal berth. While the U.S. was boosted by the presence of star forward Folarin Balogun, whose one-game red-card suspension was controversially lifted by FIFA, American defenders were at fault in a pair of first-half goals and a gaffe by goalkeeper Matt Freese gave the Red Devils a third early in the second half. Romelu Lukaku added Belgium’s final goal in stoppage time.