After several days of noise surrounding the availability of Folarin Balogun, and Donald Trump’s involvement, the United States of America crashed out of the 2026 World Cup.

A defeat against Belgium on home soil ensured none of the three host nations (USA, Canada and Mexico) progressed beyond the Round of 16. Charles De Ketelaere scored a first-half brace before Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku took advantage of mistakes to seal a 4-1 win.

Malik Tillman scored a free-kick, which turned out to be irrelevant, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side failed to put up much of a fight against the Belgians. Despite Balogun’s one-game ban being suspended, allowing him to play, the striker didn’t really get a sniff.

USA Fans Make World Cup Demand to Donald Trump

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Donald Trump, the American President, to those unaware, has been suspiciously absent from every single World Cup fixture to date. Before the competition started, the 80-year-old was very involved and caused a lot of complications as the leader of a host nation.

However, concerns over chants directed at the President have kept him away from matches, even those involving the USMNT. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t got involved, however.

Trump has admitted he gave Gianni Infantino and FIFA a nudge in the right direction when it came to Balogun’s harsh suspension. Now, he’s being urged to do the same and use his relationship with Infantino to the USA’s benefit again.

Fans have quickly jumped on social media to plead with the country’s leader to get involved again. One suggested they could be given a second chance at the World Cup, saying: “The US can still win the World Cup if Donald Trump has the courage.”

“Do you think Trump will make another phone call to ask them to overturn Belgium’s win? I wouldn’t put it past him,” another supporter added.

It was suggested that a phone call between Trump and Infantino was the solution as others added: “Trump’s on the phone now asking FIFA to reverse the score” and: “The officials were totally corrupt. Trump needs to call Gianni.”

The general sentiment was summed up perfectly by one fan, who said: “Overturn the result, please Donald Trump.”

Ultimately, there’s nothing the President can do about the result on the pitch. After beating Paraguay and Australia in the group stage, before dispatching Bosnia in the knockouts, the USMNT cam unstuck against stronger opposition (Turkey and Belgium).

Trump Made ‘Rigged’ Claim Before Belgium Loss

Trump has so far, uncharacteristically, been silent since the USA’s exit from the competition. However, he did make a comment before the match which now looks open to ridicule.

Speaking at the White House, he addressed several issues, including the Balogun saga. But one comment which stuck out to many was when he said Americans could claim the game vs Belgium was ‘rigged’ if they lost.

He said: “If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.”

USWNT legend Carli Lloyd has sparked a big reaction following comments she made about Christian Pulisic after USA’s humbling World Cup exit on Monday night. The Stars and Stripes had themselves dreaming of a historic tournament on home soil after a potential route to the semi-finals emerged following a table-topping group campaign.

During the early knockings of the competition, Mauricio Pochettino – who had talked up his side’s chances of beating the likes of Spain, England, and Argentina this summer – had led USMNT to back-to-back victories against Paraguay and Australia. A 3-2 loss to Turkiye showed that fragilities did exist, however, and that feel-good factor counted for nothing in a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16.

Even so, it has still been a special occasion for the hosts, who have shown they are starting to ‘get’ the fuss around football. But as quickly as hopes of a deep run emerged, they were emphatically crushed by Belgium. That reality was reflected in Lloyd’s assessment of a player who was expected to be the focal point of the USMNT’s attack this summer.

Carli Lloyd Doesn’t Hold Back in Assessment of Pulisic’s World Cup Display

Reuters/Blake Dahlin

‘Captain America’ He is known for his selfless nature, innate leadership, and a refusal to back down from bullies, making him the ultimate symbol of justice and protection. Well, at least in the movies he is, because the AC Milan winger hardly showed any of that during USA’s World Cup run, with Pochettino leaning on others, such as Folarin Balogun, for a memorable tournament.

Speaking on FOX Sports after the crushing defeat to one of Europe’s recent powerhouses, Lloyd – who has won two World Cups – laid bare the realities of his performances. She said (watch the full segment below):

The reaction to her comments were mostly in agreement, though one or two X users didn’t seem ready to accept that the team’s highest profile asset didn’t turn up in their hour of need.

“She doesn’t know what it’s like to punch above your weight playing superior opponents,” one remarked, as another added: “She’s the fakest person ever!!!! Was saying the complete opposite a day ago. Omg her commentary is always useless and horrible.”

Elsewhere, however, a third wrote: “She has been a great analyst all tournament long,” as others called her “Spot on.” A fifth concluded: “This is how it’s done. Be honest with viewers. A lot of sports teams and their broadcasters could learn from this. It’s OK to be critical when criticism is warranted.”

US Pundits Doubles Down on Pulisic Criticism

Phil Noble via Action Images via Reuters

In a series of tweets, analyst Nick Wright pointed out that Pulisic skipped the Gold Cup to prepare for the World Cup and blasted the 27-year-old for a “no-show” in the tournament. He wrote:

Journalist Josina Anderson, meanwhile, said the US men’s team needs to have an “honest conversation” about Pulisic in response to a tweet about his turnover troubles, with his summer ending with four matches, four shots, one assist, and zero goals.

Liverpool are said to be leading the race to sign one of the World Cup hotshots ahead of a Premier League rival. The Reds are hoping to spend significant money again this summer after committing huge funds to strengthen Arne Slot’s group last summer,

That spending likely ended up playing a role in Slot’s sacking, and now it is Andoni Iraola’s time to get money to put his squad together. That process has already begun, with Victor Munoz signing from Osasuna, and there are more signings expected. The Reds want a dominant new midfielder and a winger to replace Mo Salah.

As far as the midfield signing goes, the Reds could snap up a World Cup standout, according to the latest reports.

Liverpool leading race to sign Japan midfielder

Annegret Hilse via Action Images via Reuters

Liverpool are said to be leading the race to sign Mainz and Japan midfielder Kaishu Sano, who impressed for his nation during the World Cup. Japan were one of the more impressive sides until they were knocked out by Brazil in the Round of 32, and Sano was key to their success.

FussballDaten say Premier League clubs are pushing hard to land Sano, and Liverpool are said to be in pole position. It’s claimed they have the ‘most concrete’ and ‘serious’ offer at this stage. Mainz are asking for at least £42.7million, and the price could rise to around £51.2million.

It’s claimed Liverpool have already explored a move with Sano’s representatives, and they are willing to continue their follow up their interest with Mainz. Manchester United have also been linked, but it is Liverpool who lead the race.

Sano the ‘incredibly fast’ holding midfielder

Speaking back at the end of 2024, then Mainz boss Bo Henriksen issued a glowing verdict of Sano and his potential. He said: “He’s been getting better and better in attack in the last few matches. He’s started passing the ball forward. If you look at his stats from five matches ago, he wasn’t passing the ball forward at all. He was always passing it backward. In the last match against Hoffenheim, he even had a header and recorded xG (expected goals).

“Everyone on the team says he’s the player they least want to face in training. That’s because he’s incredibly fast, and on top of that, he’s a great footballer, has good technique, and can head the ball. He has all the abilities to become not just a good Bundesliga player, but a truly excellent international-level player.

“He has great potential. I think Jonny (Jonathan Burkhardt) said that he’s one of the players with the most potential on the team, and that’s absolutely true. He’s just getting better and better. Having players like him here and guiding them to the next step is the most important thing. The same goes for Paul (Nebel). I know Nadiem, Philip (Mwene), and Jonny are all excellent players. But developing players like them and guiding them to the next step is the most important thing in football.

“I feel that especially when I see a guy like Sano. He’s not taking baby steps now, he’s taking giant steps. We’ve actually taken such big steps that we think he could become one of the best players in his position.”