Ream: U.S. in 'shock' at poor showing in WC exit
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- Tim Ream told ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" that the USMNT locker room was in "shock" and "disbelief" after the 4-1 round-of-16 loss to Belgium, calling it "polar opposite" of how the team had played leading up to it.
- The Belgium exit marked the fourth time in five World Cups the U.S. men were eliminated at the round-of-16 stage; 2018 — when they failed to qualify — was the only exception.
- The U.S. had opened the tournament with back-to-back wins over Paraguay and Australia, the first time the American men had won consecutive World Cup matches since 1930.
- Folarin Balogun, the team's top scorer, was sent off in the round-of-32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, forcing the U.S. to play with 10 men for more than 30 minutes.
- Christian Pulisic was forced off with a right ankle injury in the 59th minute against Belgium, finishing the tournament without a goal and with just one assist after also battling a calf injury earlier.
- Mauricio Pochettino's squad drew heavy criticism following the exit, but Ream defended the group, saying "nobody had their best game by any stretch."
- Ream said the squad discussed how to inspire more Americans to embrace soccer, and that they felt fan support "grow and grow and grow" throughout the tournament.
Why it matters: The USMNT's round-of-16 exit extends a pattern of four such eliminations in five World Cups, a ceiling the federation has failed to break for over two decades. With Pulisic finishing scoreless and Pochettino's squad drawing heavy criticism despite historic back-to-back group wins — the first for U.S. men since 1930 — the program faces renewed pressure to find an identity that converts group-stage promise into knockout-stage results.
