USA player ratings: Where did it all go wrong in USMNT's 2026 World Cup exit?

The USMNT reached its glass ceiling once again on Monday, bowing out of the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16 at the hands of familiar foes Belgium. USA 1-4 BELGIUM — Video highlights & recap | Mauricio Pochettino reaction That's four straight runs to the round of 16 for the Americans, having twice been bounced by the Belgians in that span. The 4-1 scoreline will have some USMNT fans longing for the days of only losing 2-1 in extra-time, but the gulf in class between the sides was actually quite similar to that of 2014 — only this time, Tim Howard wasn't there to bail them out again (and again and again 13 more times). USMNT player ratings vs Belgium, round of 16 Matt Freese : 4.5 - At some point in this tournament, he was going to prove decisive in a big way, for better or for worse. As was everyone's fear, it turned out to be the latter. Alex Freeman : 6 - Probably the best of the backline bunch, but that's not saying very much. Better in possession than defending, but again not a compliment. He's 21, though, and was unquestionably the biggest (pleasant) surprise of this World Cup run. Chris Richards : 5.5 - Didn't look nearly as comfortable in the back-four, especially when Belgium surged into the channels, which was early and often. Got muscled around by a fresh-off-the-bench Romelu Lukaku in stoppage time. Tim Ream : 5 - The worry was always that the 38-year-old would be exposed against top-tier attacking talent, and it didn't take much against Belgium. Charles De Ketelaere skated away from him for his first goal and towered over him for no. 2. Antonee Robinson : 6 - As busy as ever, but nowhere near his best, especially with the ball. Tyler Adams : 6 - Hung out to dry by just about everything happening around him. Weston McKennie : 5 - Miles off the pace of play, as is (too) often the case against the best of the best. Malik Tillman : 7 - Scored another free kick (with the help of a deflection), but was otherwise anonymous (1 chance created and 2 passes into the final third) — not necessarily his fault, as the whole midfield was overrun the whole game. Sergiño Dest : 5 - Spent most of the first half on an island and immediately gave the ball away on the rare occasion he got into a dangerous position. Christian Pulisic : 5.5 - Came off injured after an ineffective hour. Zero chances created and barely a touch of the ball inside the penalty area. Unfortunately, Pulisic never looked quite the same after injuring his calf in the first half of the first game against Paraguay. We'll always have those 45 minutes. Folarin Balogun : 6 - An occasional threat in behind, but those moments were too few and far between. Hold-up play was nonexistent with just 19 touches in 90 minutes. Gio Reyna (sub 46') : 6 - Tidy and mistake-free after coming on at halftime, but it wasn't nearly enough to turn the tide. Sebastian Berhalter (sub 59') : 6.5 - Was inches from scoring a stunner in the 79th minute and created a couple chances in just a half-hour of work. Ricardo Pepi (sub 72') : 5.5 - Never got near the opposition box to make an impact. Haji Wright (sub 90'+2) : N/A Max Arfsten (sub 90'+2) : N/A