Soccer
Pulisic reveals why fired-up Red Devils were too hot to handle for Pochettino's USA
Christian Pulisic admits the USA paid a heavy price for failing to be more clinical as their World Cup dream crumbled against Belgium.
After all the fuss and hoopla over Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban being suspended, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were outclassed in Seattle as they crashed to a 4-1 defeat.
Balogun’s presence in the starting XI proved to be extra motivation for the fired-up Red Devils — and they took great delight in rubbing American noses in it.
But Pulisic, who was forced off during the second half of the last-16 tie with an ankle injury, was brutally honest as he summed up where it went wrong.
The 27-year-old playmaker told FIFA: "Up until today, we are very proud and I thought we did a lot of good things. But for sure [it was] just a disappointing way to end.
"We played against a very good team [that was] very clinical in both ends of the pitch — and we weren't.
“That's where the game is won, in the boxes, so it was not quite enough from us.
"We did the best we can. I hope people can see that and believed in us.”
As co-hosts, and with President Donald Trump firmly in their corner, the USA had high hopes for the tournament. There was even talk that they could go all the way.
But when it mattered most, Pochettino’s team fell apart and were dismantled by Rudi Garcia’s side.
Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images
"I don't have a lot of words, we're really disappointed,” said USA defender Sergino Dest. “It just wasn't our day.
"We are proud but we felt we could have done more than we did, so at the moment we're just disappointed."
Half-time sub Gio Reyna added: "It was one of those days where things did not fall our way. It wasn't our best game.
“I felt we could have managed a couple of moments a bit better. They were the better team.”
As for Balogun, he refused to get drawn into the controversy surrounding the decision to allow him to play after being red-carded in the round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The striker said: “I accepted the decision when I was given the red card — and then I also accepted the decision when I was told I could play.
“There’s not too much else I can really say on the matter.”
Pochettino also played down suggestions that the Balogun saga had distracted his team from the task at hand.
He said: “It didn't affect our performance. It's not an excuse. It wasn't our day.
"My position was to train the team. If Balogun is available because FIFA allow for you to have the player, it's not a problem.”
Regardless of whether Balogun’s presence helped or hindered the USA, the best team won — and that’s why Belgium can now look forward to a quarter-final showdown with Spain on Friday night.
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