From The Sports Desk: Belgium demolishes the U.S. 4-1, and then trolls it afterward

World CupFrom The Sports Desk: Belgium demolishes the U.S. 4-1, and then trolls it afterward “Overturn this,” Belgium posted on social media, a reference to FIFA suspending a one-game suspension for Folarin Balogun, the American striker, and allowing him to play in the match. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Romelu Lukaku #9 of Belgium celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's fourth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between USA and Belgium at Seattle Stadium on July 06, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. Jamie Squire / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 7, 2026, 10:19 AM EDTBy David HickeyThe United States’ World Cup campaign was brought to a screeching halt in Seattle last night by a Belgian team that played as if it had extra motivation after the Folarin Balogun affair. The Red Devils, angered by FIFA’s decision to reinstate the U.S. striker after he received a red card in the previous round, delighted in trolling their hosts during and after the match.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Today, we’ll find out which final two teams make the quarterfinals. Will Lionel Messi have another indelible performance? Our NBC News team is live-blogging the games. Don’t miss out! World Cup RecapThe U.S. kicked off its round of 16 match against Belgium in high spirits, boosted by the return of its top goal scorer at the tournament in Balogun. But the 4-1 defeat that followed was a brutal reminder that it is still playing catch-up against the world’s elite teams.In truth, the U.S. spurned a golden opportunity to reach its first quarterfinals since the Landon Donovan team of 2002, facing a Belgian side that had struggled in the tournament so far and that had left three headline players — Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku — on the bench to start the game.Where was the verve from the previous matches? The U.S. played like it was weighed down by the c...