USA World Cup winners and losers: Unforgettable summer ends on sour note

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino had hoped to become the first manager to lead the U.S. to a quarterfinal since Bruce Arena did it in 2002 but instead oversaw a 4-1 defeat with Belgium comfortably sending the Stars and Stripes out of the tournament they were hosting.

There were still some bright spots Monday, but there also were some players whose stock took a hit. Here are the winners and losers from the elimination game:

WINNERS

Belgium

Obviously. Even if manager Rudi Garcia played down the noise before the match about whether or not Folarin Balogun would be eligible for the contest after he was sent off in the round of 32, this game felt good for the Red Devils.

It isn't just the revenge factor, either. Belgium was able to extend the momentum it started with a late flurry against Senegal in the round of 32 and is finally playing like the team it hoped to be during a lackluster group stage.

Malik Tillman

It already had been a good World Cup for Tillman, and his free-kick goal in the 31st minute looked like it would spark a U.S. rally. Instead, the Stars and Stripes conceded immediately.

That was no fault of Tillman's, who also had a good night connecting. Increasing the volume of chances created will be a next step, but after breaking out at the 2025 Gold Cup, Tillman exceeded expectations this summer. At age 24, he should be heavily involved in the next cycle.

Seattle

The Pacific Northwest long has been a region of the country whose love for soccer is notable at MLS matches, but the U.S. national teams rarely make it to Seattle or Portland for various reasons.

The crowd at Lumen Field tried to pump up the U.S., responded to every big moment and, for the second time in this tournament, was a loud, patriotic bunch. With U.S. Soccer getting a gleaming new headquarters in the Atlanta area, there may be fewer and fewer chances for the teams to head to the Pacific coast, but the region rose to the occasion this summer.

LOSERS

Sergino Dest

After falling asleep on the first goal, Dest also was too slow to react on what ended up being the second goal as well, never seeming to get plugged into the game and getting the hook at halftime.

It was a roller coaster of a tournament for Dest, who gives so much going forward but also needs to contribute defensively to keep his place on the field.

Matt Freese

The life of a goalkeeper is that you will be judged on what you do in a very small number of moments. The U.S. shot-stopper had little to do for most of the tournament. Called into action against Belgium, however, he wasn't able to stop the first two shots and then committed a puzzling error, coming for a ball that he was able to claim but then feinting a clearance rather than booting it away.

It led to Belgium taking a 3-1 lead and seemed to totally deflate the U.S. team as it was trying to chase an equalizer and find a way back in the match.

Christian Pulisic

This was the moment for the star of the U.S., but injury struck — just as it did in the group stage. Pulisic tried to gut it out after he was hurt attempting a shot from just outside the box, only to make contact with Youri Tielemans' foot and see his motion disrupted. That led to knee and ankle pain, which forced him out of the match.

The 27-year-old was playing in a home World Cup in the prime of his career. Despite a rocky club season, he had great showings in the pre-tournament friendly matches and in the first 45 minutes against Paraguay before exiting with a calf issue that kept him out of the Americans' second group game.

Pulisic will hope to be back as the veteran leader of the team in 2030, but he'll know nothing — certainly not good health — is guaranteed.