New Delhi, July 8 -- The United States men's national team entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup carrying unprecedented expectations. Playing on home soil, backed by a growing soccer audience, and featuring a generation of players competing across Europe, the USMNT was expected to deliver the deepest World Cup run in program history.

Instead, Belgium delivered a painful reality check.

The Americans' World Cup journey ended with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16, turning a summer of optimism into a national debate about whether the United States has truly built the foundation needed to compete with the world's elite football nations.

The defeat came after a tournament filled with historic moments for American soccer. The United State...