Four-get about it! Co-host's dreams of glory blown away by Belgium

SEATTLE — The United States' World Cup dreams came to a crashing halt in the last 16 against Belgium on Monday, as Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in a comprehensive 4-1 win, the buildup to which had been overshadowed by FIFA's controversial decision to suspend the red-card ban of US forward Folarin Balogun.

De Ketelaere gave Belgium the lead in the ninth minute with a simple tap-in, taking full advantage of a nervous start by the US to quickly deflate the partisan crowd.

Malik Tillman equalized in the 31st minute with a deflected freekick that wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois, but De Ketelaere restored Belgium's lead little more than a minute later with a header at the back post.

"From the beginning, we didn't connect with the game," US coach Mauricio Pochettino said. "Even when we scored the goal (to make it)1-1, we conceded in the next action."

The US played with more authority after the break, until a calamitous error from goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed substitute Hans Vanaken to score in the 57th minute, irreversibly shifting the momentum in a stunned Seattle Stadium.

Romelu Lukaku then added a fourth in added time to send US fans streaming for the exits and Belgium into the quarterfinals for the third time in the last four World Cups.

It will play European champion Spain in Los Angeles on Friday.

The US defeat means that all three co-hosts are now out of the tournament, after Canada and Mexico also lost their round-of-16 matches.

"In the moments that we were doing well (in the tournament), we felt amazing," US midfielder Tyler Adams said. "And then, obviously, an opportunity like today, we didn't grasp it and it's gonna sting."

Balogun lacks impact

The build-up was dominated by US President Donald Trump's unprecedented intervention to get Balogun's one-match ban for a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina suspended, but the 25-year-old could barely get into the game.

"I think there is always justice somewhere in life, and the fact that something can happen like that, you can put it all you want, but we don't think that was fair," Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said. "And today, I think it just brought us a little bit of luck."

The US struggled with Belgium's intensity from the start and, with the crowd still going through their first chant of "U-S-A", Timothy Castagne forced Freese into a fingertip save.

Youri Tielemans fluffed an early chance, but the US did not learn its lesson and De Ketelaere tapped home Raskin's cross after the host failed to clear its lines.

The US looked stunned and was grateful for the hydration break, leveling shortly after the resumption of play, when Balogun won a freekick in a dangerous position.

Tillman's effort took a wicked deflection off the forehead of Vanaken, an early substitute for the injured Amadou Onana, which gave Courtois no chance.

But the US swiftly conceded another goal, with Leandro Trossard standing up a simple cross for De Ketelaere to head home.

Any hopes of a comeback were shattered when Freese dawdled while trying to play the ball way out of his area and gave Vanaken an open goal to aim for.

The game had long since petered out when Lukaku bagged his seventh career World Cup goal with a cool finish, 12 years after he scored against the US in another round-of-16 victory.

Last Wednesday, during the US team's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun was shown a red card for stepping on an opponent's ankle, triggering an automatic one-game suspension. After Trump spoke by phone to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended the ban for a year on Sunday.

Infantino said he did not play a role in the decision by the disciplinary committee, which also fined Balogun $40,000, a penalty that can be paid by the US Soccer Federation.

The FIFA president was in attendance, watching from a suite with Pascale Van Damme, chair of the Belgian Football Association, and Cindy Parlow Cone, president of the USSF.

Belgium fans chanted "FIFA Mafia" during their pregame march to Lumen Field.

Balogun's three goals at the tournament matched Landon Donovan's haul in 2010 for the second most by a US player in a World Cup. Bert Patenaude's four at the inaugural 1930 tournament still stands.

Balogun, playing in his first World Cup, became the first US player to score two goals in a match at the tournament since Patenaude. But he couldn't lead the US to its first consecutive knockout-stage wins.

The best US performance since 1930 — when it qualified directly for the semifinals as group winner — remains its run to the quarterfinals in 2002.

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