For three weeks, the United States was a team destined to make a deep run. Monday night, that destiny ran out.

Belgium beat the U.S. 4-1 in the Round of 16, and the same old team showed up right when it mattered most, leaving the question Mauricio Pochettino had built this team around — “Why not us?” — unanswered.

The run that led to that question began eight years earlier, on June 13, 2018, when it was announced that the FIFA World Cup, the biggest tournament in the world, would be hosted on U.S. soil for the first time since 1994, joining Mexico and Canada as co-hosts.

The road there wasn’t smooth. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the U.S. fell 3-1 to the Netherlands in the Round of 16, and the pressure was mounting.

The U.S. then had the opportunity to host the Copa América and flamed out in the group stage, leading to the firing of head coach Gregg Berhalter. After an almost year-long search, U.S. Soccer hired Mauricio Pochettino in September 2024 to lead them into the World Cup.

The World Cup RunTwo years after Pochettino took the helm, the wait ended. On June 12, the U.S. walked out of the tunnel in front of a sold-out SoFi Stadium to play Paraguay.

An early own goal got them into the game. Then, striker Folarin Balogun showed the world what he could do, scoring two brilliant goals. The fourth came courtesy of Gio Reyna. The U.S. was off and running. Or were they?

In the first half, Christian Pulisic, the United States’ best player, looked like a man reborn after a rough stretch with his club team, AC Milan. Then he left the game early and would miss the next match against Australia.

The U.S. closed out the group stage by beating Australia 2-0 and losing to Turkey 3-2 (primarily with back ups), qualifying for the knockout stage for the second straight World Cup.

Experts started to look at this team differently: star power in Balogun and Pulisic, a balanced midfield, a starting XI that could hang with the top teams in Europe.

The Americans opened the knockout stage with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. A red card to Balogun put their next match in jeopardy, and 24 hours before facing Belgium, he was cleared to play, sparking a worldwide argument that followed the team all the way to kickoff in Seattle.

The crowd came in full voice. The team did not. Nine minutes in, the U.S. failed to clear a ball, and Belgian striker Charles De Ketelaere scored the first of his two goals. Belgium was relentless from there, pushing the U.S. up and down the field and putting the Americans on their heels. A set piece in the 31st minute gave them a way back.

Malik Tillman, who had caught the eye of the nation, delivered another set-piece strike. A deflection carried it past the keeper, and the game was tied.

That was the lone bright spot of the night. Belgium scored three unanswered goals and cruised to a 4-1 victory, sending the Americans home in the Round of 16 once again.

Was This Tournament a Success?In a lot of ways, yes, the tournament was a success. The fans and the passion were undeniable, felt across the country after 32 years without a World Cup on home soil.

The craving for soccer has finally broken through. On the field, players like Balogun, Tillman, Alex Freeman and others made a name for themselves, and the attacking, free-flowing style Pochettino built was on full display.

It’s a style the U.S. had tried to adopt before but never had the nerve to trust in a major tournament. For four games, it worked like a charm. But when the U.S. needed to play its way the most, it couldn’t get out of its own way.

This team won more games at a single World Cup than any other U.S. team in history. It captured a nation. But in the end, it all sounds the same.

They beat the teams they were supposed to beat, and when it came time to play a better team, they collapsed and reverted to the USA of the past.

The team has quality players all over the field and one of the most respected managers in the sport. Still, when the lights got bright, the team collapsed.

A lot of the blame and burden fell on Pulisic, nicknamed “Captain America.” The winger, 27, is the face of U.S. soccer. His on-field play this tournament was defined by injuries and inconsistent form, though he showed flashes of the player everyone knows is there.

Even in loss, the U.S. showed the nation what’s coming — and that the future is bright.

The FutureThe future of the USMNT is tied closely to the future of Mauricio Pochettino. His contract is up, and U.S. Soccer has reportedly already offered him a new deal, though Pochettino has stayed noncommittal, telling reporters it’s too soon to discuss it. Still, he made clear he believes in what this group built.

“I think this team showed that we can play football, we can play soccer, we can compete,” he said postgame of the Round of 16 loss to Belgium. “A lot of young players with a lot of potential and future, and I think a generation of young kids that are coming behind. I think only [that you should] keep believing in that process.”

Having him here to set the foundation for 2030 would be huge for U.S. Soccer.

The core is already in place. Pulisic, Balogun, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams give the program a strong nucleus.

Guys like Malik Tillman, Alex Freeman and Chris Richards have all broken out and proven they can be real contenders for the red, white and blue going forward.

On paper, it looks like a team that can contend in four years.

Adams told reporters after the game what this group can take from the tournament.

“How close this group has grown has been amazing,” he said postgame. “Guys will take the next step because of this tournament. When you look towards the future, a lot of young guys will be stars for the later teams.”

Team captain Tim Ream echoed the sense that this run means something bigger than the scoreline.

“There are boys and girls who were watching and being inspired, and they should be, how incredible this journey has been with this group,” Ream said.

The biggest piece of the puzzle may be the one furthest from the field.

The pay-to-play model still shapes who gets to play youth soccer in this country, and it will keep making player development harder no matter how far this senior team goes. If the U.S. wants any real shot at lifting a major trophy, it needs to fix that system from the ground up.

There are still a lot of questions surrounding this team, and Monday’s performance brought back memories of the bad and the ugly. But this team also gave the nation hope.

Somewhere, a kid was watching their heroes represent the U.S. and dreaming of doing the same one day. This team showed promise and talent. It just still has to answer the question its own coach posed months before a ball was kicked.

Why not us?