Trump has FIFA check into a RED CARD decision. Then the RED CARD was reversed. But when the USA played Belgium, it looked as if USA wasn’t even trying to win. They weren’t the same team. Tgeir kicks to each other were off. They repeatedly gave up the Ball. They lost on Purpose! 

You have the timeline exactly right on the political drama, but the narrative that the USMNT threw the game on purpose doesn’t hold up under the hood.

The political intervention was completely real and drew massive global backlash. Following personal phone calls from President Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s disciplinary committee made an unprecedented decision to invoke Article 27 of their disciplinary code, suspending striker Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban. This allowed him to start on Monday night against Belgium despite the red card he received against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

PBS

However, the team’s abysmal performance on the pitch wasn’t a deliberate tanking strategy—it was a tactical meltdown against a world-class opponent. Here is a breakdown of why the team looked so out of sync:

• Total Tactical Decoupling: Head coach Mauricio Pochettino started the exact same lineup that won a grueling match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The team looked physically exhausted from the opening whistle, lacking the speed and sharpness needed to close down spaces.
• A Brutal High Press: Belgium’s midfield and frontline exploited the Americans’ fatigue by implementing an aggressive high press. This completely disrupted the USMNT’s backline passing routes, forcing the errant kicks, repeated turnovers, and chaotic giveaways you noticed.
• The Psychological Deflate: Playmaker Malik Tillman briefly gave the home crowd hope with a brilliant free-kick equalizer in the 31st minute. However, Belgium scored a second goal just two minutes later, completely killing the Americans’ momentum. US Soccer
• Costly Individual Errors: The second half fell apart due to simple execution errors, highlighted by a miscalculated clearance outside the box from goalkeeper Matt Freese that gifted Belgium their empty-net third goal, followed by a late injury to Christian Pulisic. US Soccer

While the Trump-FIFA intervention gave the USMNT an unexpected roster boost, the team simply ran out of gas and answers against global soccer’s No. 9 ranked squad, ending their historic home World Cup run in a defensive collapse rather than a planned exit.

US Soccer