USA vs Belgium reaction as Kilbane and Caldwell rip into the USMNT collapse

Kevin Kilbane did not soften it. After Belgium beat the USA 4-1 in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday night, he called it the “hype train” coming off the rails and said the co-hosts had been embarrassed on and off the pitch. Steven Caldwell was just as blunt about Christian Pulišić, who lasted 59 minutes and left with the spotlight on his worst night of the tournament.

Kilbane's verdict on the USA's ceiling

Kilbane's point was simple enough: the USA bought into a bigger run than their performance level justified. He said they were believing they could reach the quarters, the semi-finals, even go all the way, before adding that Belgium showed “how flawed they are as a side.”

That is a hard verdict, but the result supports it. Belgium scored 4 times, while the USA managed only 1 goal, Malik Tillman's strike after 31 minutes.

Pulisic's night and the criticism around it

Caldwell made Pulisic the focal point of the criticism. He said the forward had 11 giveaways in the first half and 14 in total, then argued he was “absolutely terrible in the match.”

The numbers fit the tone of the analysis. Pulisic won only 2 of his 8 duels, had a 6.2 rating, and finished the World Cup with 0 goals in 4 appearances. He also said after the match that he had “totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play,” and added, “I'm disappointed with myself, of course, but I'm going to try to stay positive.”

That leaves the final debate in a pretty familiar place. Pulisic's injury explains the exit, but it does not wipe away the fact that he was well below the level the USA needed from their main attacking reference point.

Mauricio Pochettino also declined to discuss his future straight after the exit, saying, “Now is not a moment to talk about that.” The immediate story, though, is the same one Kilbane and Caldwell hammered home: this was a blunt ending to a tournament the USA expected to stretch much further.