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Soccer
Why the USMNT’s disastrous loss to Belgium was even worse than it looked
After the Whistle with Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe›
Jul 7, 202643:29
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Soccer
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Hours after the final whistle, Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe come to terms with the USMNT’s humiliating World Cup elimination at the hands of Belgium. They wonder where it all went wrong for this once-promising U.S. team, from Folarin Balogun’s red-card saga to Matt Freese’s catastrophic goalkeeping error, and Brendan makes the case that this was the USMNT’s worst-ever World Cup exit. Plus, Rebecca declares England’s shorthanded win over Mexico at the Azteca — which Brendan witnessed in person — to be the Three Lions’ greatest-ever performance on foreign soil.
After the Whistle is an Apple News Original podcast presented by Verizon.
Next listen
Very unofficial World Cup awards, and wild tales of Brendan’s and Rebecca’s adventures at the World Cup final
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"Why the USMNT’s disastrous loss to Belgium was even worse than it looked" is an episode of After the Whistle with Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe. Runtime 43 min. Published July 7, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.
