After a month of pompous self promotion and dodgy dealings with FIFA, the American national soccer team has crashed out of the World Cup following a 4-1 demolition at the hands of Belgium. The American team joins fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico in bowing out of the competition at the round of 16 stage, with Mexico losing to England, and Canada falling to Morocco. The lead up to the match had been mired in controversy after American striker Florian Balogun saw his red-card-induced suspension delayed until after the tournament after President Donald Trump admitted to calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino about the suspension, a blatant display of favouritism. This sparked major backlash with the Belgian FA filing an appeal which was denied. The lead up to the match was marked by online arguments between American supporters and the rest of the world, with many American commentators discussing just how far the US would go and the potential they might even go all the way to the final. This, thankfully, refused to materialise and the Americans received a proper beat down courtesy of the Belgians. .After a competitive first 35 minutes the Belgians took control of the game and, helped by a mistake from the American keeper in the second half, gave the Americans little to work with. .The Belgians were shown in the dressing room after the match doing the "Trump dance" in a form of celebratory mockery. .It wasn't just the Belgians celebrating as mockery of the perceived American arrogance came from around the footballing world. Canadian and Mexican supporters in particular seemed to revel in the American defeat with online commentators taking the opportunity to gloat at the expense of their North American neighbour. .Despite the banter all three host nations posted respectable finishes given their history, with Canada going the farthest they've ever been in a World Cup, Mexico putting up a resilient fight against a top England team, and the American's showcasing their quality with an impressive 4-1 victory against fellow Ro16 finisher Paraguay. The three North American nations can also brag about going further in the tournament than historical European powerhouses like Germany, Croatia, and the Netherlands.
