USMNT player ratings for 2026 World Cup after loss to Belgium

What was such an inspiring journey to the World Cup came to a disappointing end.

When competition gets tougher, there are more consequences for not performing. It can’t be a day when so many guys are passengers. That day was simple: Belgium was the best team.

Today’s performance was nowhere near what these players expected of themselves, and I think that’s where the biggest disappointment will come from. He wasn’t where he needed to be to give the United States a chance to win the game.

Instead of simply rating players on their performances against Belgium, let’s take a broader look at how they fared throughout the tournament. (We’ll start with the trainer, though.)

US Player Ratings

I thought he handled the tournament well. Some people criticized him for making changes in the last group game against Türkiye when there was nothing at stake, but in the end, they were justified. You saw what happened in the next match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, when a well-rested team performed very well in the round of 32.

The line-up that Pochettino chose against Belgium was the correct one. It was the best XI available.

Ultimately, I think there will be some criticism because the belief was that he could take us a step further than we have been. But I take my hat off to him and I think he handled this group well throughout the group stage.

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino’s future with the national team is uncertain after the World Cup. (John Todd/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Rating · 8

For me, Weston was the best player of the tournament.

There’s a reason he played more minutes than anyone else on this team, and there’s a reason Pochettino trusts him so much in midfield. He offers a lot on both sides of the field.

I think having a second World Cup under his belt will bode well for him in the future. He will continue to be a big part of our midfield backbone.

Rating · 8

Flo was Weston’s match throughout the tournament. As I have said throughout the World Cup, he is the number 9 we were waiting for.

Balogun was the player of the match on multiple occasions and his influence was felt throughout this World Cup. It will continue to be the goal of this team.

Rating · 7

Tillman is a special player. He offers something different compared to Weston and Tyler Adams and offers consistent quality on the ball.

I am very excited about the future of this trio of midfielders.

Rating · 7

Freeman looked very good against Belgium. He had moments, but in the end he wasn’t at the level of consistency we had seen throughout the group stage or against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For a 21-year-old, he behaved incredibly well.

Alex Freeman was a standout player for the United States during this World Cup. (Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Rating · 7

He is our anchor and a big part of our spine moving forward. For me, giving Chris this World Cup experience was vital. You will take on even more responsibility in the future.

Part of Cristiano’s rating is due to the calf injury he suffered in the group stage. A lot of his tournament was affected by that, as he maybe wasn’t on the field as much as we needed him to be.

Then, against Belgium, he struggled to have the kind of involvement he knows he can. When Christian is at his best and in his best form, we win that game.

When that’s the case, he’s trusting defenders, beating players off the dribble, taking shots, and gaining access to the final third. At least he’s getting the defense’s attention.

In the end, he couldn’t have that kind of impact against Belgium because he didn’t have opportunities to play more minutes early in the tournament.

Without the performance against Belgium, this is a 7 or 8. However, my score was definitely affected by that loss.

I felt like Tyler could have had more authority and dictated more play against Belgium. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise strong World Cup.

Ream was not at his best against Belgium as he was involved in conceding three of them. In the end, I thought I had a good tournament without this performance.

Unfortunately for him, this game against Belgium was when we needed it the most and the opponent won.

Against Belgium, Antonee was a little less effective than he was throughout the tournament. Still, he is one of our most consistent players from game to game.

With Sergiño it is interesting because he is playing somewhat out of position. Traditionally he is a right back and plays there for his club and, in the past, for the national team, but in this tournament he was a right back.

Against Belgium, it wasn’t his best day, but he looked threatening at times throughout the World Cup.

Throughout the tournament, he made the saves he was supposed to make, along with a couple of bigger saves, including against Belgium.

What will stand out, however, is the glaring mistake he made that directly led to Belgium’s third goal. That one really put the game out of reach and made it even harder to get back into it.