The biggest controversy of the 2026 World Cup so far was largely put to rest after Belgium’s emphatic 4-1 victory over the USMNT in the round of 16 in Seattle.

Folarin Balogun’s controversial eligibility after FIFA temporarily lifted his suspension following his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous round sparked outrage across the soccer world, with President Donald Trump’s involvement adding fuel to the debate. Mauricio Pochettino, however, insisted politics had no place in the discussion, defended his decision to start the Monaco striker and rejected suggestions that the controversy affected his team’s performance against the Red Devils.

Pochettino sees no room for politics in soccer

“I’m so frustrated and so disappointed with the people who don’t understand the situation and keep mixing different issues together,” Pochettino told reporters after the game at Seattle Stadium. “Personally, I don’t think any of this affected our performance. It’s not an excuse. It just wasn’t our day.

“You ask why I’m receiving insults, abusive messages and even threats. My position is simple. I’m the head coach. The rules allow the federation to appeal in order to make a player available. My job is to coach the team. If Balogun was available because FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee allowed him to play, then I had no problem selecting him.

“On a personal level, I’m disappointed that so many people have mixed politics into this. They talk about ethics and integrity. If we’re going to discuss the history of this game, then we can talk about ethics. But in this case, there was a process that allowed an appeal, just as there has been for other players and other teams. That’s all that happened.

The Argentine coach refused to use the controversy as an explanation for the defeat.

“That’s not an excuse for our performance. We didn’t lose because of that," Pochettino insisted.

“I don’t think we were good enough today. We don’t need to look for excuses. It just wasn’t our day. We didn’t perform the way we should have or show our quality.

“Everything that happened off the field stayed off the field. I don’t think it affected us as a group. Sometimes every team has one of those days when nothing goes your way, and today was one of them. We just couldn’t get into the game or find any rhythm.

“As for everything else, FIFA has already explained the situation clearly. They explained what happened and why it happened. The rules allow for an appeal, and that’s all there is to it. I don’t have anything else to say about that.

“Belgium was better than us. It’s as simple as that.”

Pochettino sees reasons for optimism despite elimination

Despite the disappointing exit, Pochettino believes the USMNT has made significant progress and can continue building toward the 2030 World Cup.

“I think if you go back to a year ago, before the Gold Cup, nobody believed we’d be here today, playing Belgium in the knockout stage of a World Cup,” he said.

“We were facing players who have won the Champions League, LaLiga and the Premier League. They have experience at the highest level and are among the best players in the world.

“A year ago, we were in a very different place. I think we’ve improved enormously, and this World Cup showed that. But progress doesn’t happen overnight. Development isn’t linear, and you can’t expect a team to grow that quickly.

“I’m very proud because, in just one year and despite all the circumstances, this team has shown that we can play good soccer and compete at this level. We still have a lot of work to do, but we have many young players with tremendous potential and an exciting generation coming through behind them.

“Now it’s about continuing to believe in the process.”

Pochettino leaves door open to staying with USMNT

Pochettino’s contract expires following the conclusion of the USMNT’s World Cup campaign. Now that the tournament is over, the former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager said he wants time before deciding his future, but did not rule out extending his stay with U.S. Soccer.

“I think the next step is to take a little time to rest, reflect and have some conversations,” Pochettino said. “Then we’ll see what decision the federation makes and what decision we make.

“I’m very happy because we’ve built a very good relationship. But this isn’t the right time to talk about my future. Right now, it’s time to assess the tournament, reflect on everything that happened, and then, over the next few weeks, we can start those conversations if the federation wants to.”

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