USMNT Rondo: What went wrong against Belgium? Is Christian Pulisic to blame? And what now for Mauricio Pochettino?

Tom Hindle: That this was the absolute worst case scenario. It would be one thing to lose to a decent Belgian side. Not showing up, and then getting battered by a team that benched three of its best players is somehow worse. Add to that already pretty dour showing that the country is perhaps a little less inclined to be sympathetic due to the whole Balogun thing, and, well, yikes.

Ryan Tolmich: That they squandered it. All of the goodwill, all of the casual fans, all of the excitement - that came crashing down. You're allowed to lose in the Round of 16, but you're not allowed to lose like that. In the moment, the lights were too bright for a team that had risen to the occasion several times this summer and, with the world watching, that's a tough pill to swallow.

Alex Labidou: This is the biggest disappointment in USMNT history. Yes, you can point to the farcical 1998 team, but there were never real expectations for that group.

This was a home World Cup. The U.S. had an A-list head coach in Mauricio Pochettino. The message was to dream bigger. This was arguably the most talented squad in the program’s history, and when it came time to show what they were really about, they completely capitulated.

TH: Some will have a pop at Segino Dest, Matt Freese or Christian Pulisic. There's some merit in that. Pulisic tallied 11 unsuccessful dribbles in the first half. Call a spade a spade: that is an absolute stinker from the U.S.'s main man. But the whole side lacked a bit of juice. Passing was sloppy, decision-making was slow. Mauricio Pochettino basically admitted that the U.S. weren't up to much. He was right.

RT: Team-wide. Everyone was bad. Some were worse than others, sure, but there isn't a single player that played even half as well as they did in earlier games. That's what makes it so mystifying: this wasn't a bad game for one player; it was a bad game for a whole team all at once.

AL: This was a team-wide collapse. Individuals will take blame, and some of that is fair, but the bigger concern is that the U.S. looked nothing like the confident, proactive team it had been throughout the rest of the tournament.

You also have to wonder how much the noise around the game impacted the group. Fair or not, the White House’s involvement in the Folarin Balogun decision became part of the buildup, and both teams were forced to answer for it. Both sides said it was not a distraction, but based on the way the game played out, it is hard to believe it did not affect the emotional temperature around the match.

TH: What tactics? This seemed a total failure. There are times when, as a non-football-manager, you can pick out some clear ideas, perhaps try to get inside a coach's mind a little bit. And then, there are times when you can only watch in disbelief. If you're being generous, the move to bring Gio Reyna on for Sergino Dest and switch to a back four was bold. Otherwise, though, this was more about a total collapse than whether Poch set up his press correctly.

RT: Maybe, but he could have had the best gameplan in the world and it wouldn't have worked with the level of execution on the field. Tactics aren't why you don't clear a bouncing ball in your box. Tactics don't stop a poster of a header. And tactics aren't at play when your goalkeeper fluffs a clearance 35 yards from goal. Complain about coaching all you want, but players have to play.

AL: No. This was largely the same approach that had people labeling this side an outside contender through four games. This was more of a collective letdown than a tactical failure. The most concerning part is that, outside of Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, which of the U.S.’s key players actually showed up? In particular, what did Christian Pulisic do before his injury to truly impact the game?

This was another massive tournament moment where the USMNT needed its biggest star to impose himself, and it did not happen.

TH: Disciplined, opportunistic, and playing with a giant bloody chip on their shoulder. It is no fault of the USMNT themselves, but Belgium played like they really wanted this one. And why not? They had been disrespected by, in effect, the highest office in the land for 72 hours. They got it done, and managed to rest some of their guys, too. It could be a real momentum builder for them.

RT: Did what they had to do. They handled the press, didn't do anything silly and punished the USMNT when the U.S. shot themselves in the foot. Good teams know when to pounce, and Belgium did that over and over again in a game that looked totally comfortable from the opening whistle.

AL: This is a good team, not a great one. Credit has to go to Rudi Garcia for managing a dressing room whose personalities have sometimes prevented Belgium from delivering on expectations in the past.

That said, the U.S. made Belgium look better than it is. This was a professional performance from Belgium, but expect them to come back to reality against a really good Spain side.

TH: Nah. He was brought in to oversee a better tournament performance than managers of old, and even if he managed to win a knockout game, it's tough to see where he takes this team from here. Perhaps a re-up and revamp for Copa America is possible. But Pochettino is a club manager at heart, and the U.S. are probably looking at a fuller reset. B.J. Callaghan, your phone shall be ringing soon...

RT: Logically, probably not. This didn't feel like a beginning in the way that 2022 did. Instead, it felt like more of an ending or, at least, a move to something of a sequel. This story has been told: a group of players that had been building to this moment for eight years fell short. It wouldn't be surprising if everyone involved wants to start a new story as a result.

AL: No. That is not to say he did not make an impact. He did. He identified players like Alex Freeman and elevated them into real contributors.

But the reality is that Pochettino promised quarterfinals, and the U.S. did not reach that level. Add in the fact that he has continued to flirt with European club football, and the USMNT should look elsewhere for someone fully committed to the program.

They should call Pellegrino Matarazzo, an American-born manager who has had real success in Europe, immediately.

TH: *Just* about. Step back, and the bigger picture looks alright. The U.S. topped their group, won a knockout game, and lost when they were outmatched. This is not the quarterfinal run that Pochettino promised when he took the gig nearly two years ago, but it was a decent effort. The U.S. overperformed for a while, then looked like themselves against a good opponent. Maybe it was about the memories made against Paraguay and Australia along the way, eh lads?

RT: Can't say it has. This, more than anything, was about capturing a new audience, and that audience just watched this team stumble over itself in the big moment. Why would those people watch going forward? Will they? There were lovable moments, for sure, and maybe those will be enough, but, for most people, their soccer fandom was just put on pause for the next four years. That's not a success.

AL: No. This was the USMNT’s chance to fully capture the hearts and minds of millions of Americans and lock them in for the future. Unfortunately, the message was more of the same.

Despite the gains the program has made, and despite the talent this country continues to send to top clubs in Europe, the USMNT has exited the World Cup in the Round of 16 in each of its past four World Cup appearances. Americans are not conditioned to accept third- or fourth-best, especially in a country that regularly sees dominance in sports like basketball in the Olympics, for example. Progress is the only way this team will continue to build real engagement.