Did USA team fall short in World Cup? Here's what pundits think

Did USA team fall short in World Cup? Here's what pundits think Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Coach Mauricio Pochettino consoled defender Jeffrey Richards after Monday's defeatPublished4 minutes agoAfter the thunder of some resounding wins early in the World Cup, the USA men's team left the stage with a whimper, not a bang.On Monday, they were well beaten by Belgium, 4-1, and never reached the heights of previous games.After a few weeks in which some pulsating performances by the men's team seemed to lift the sport to new heights, there is gratitude for all the excitement but also a sense of a missed opportunity. The American squad was stacked with players performing in Europe's top leagues, and in coach Mauricio Pochettino they had one of the world's foremost coaches.Yet they failed to match their best World Cup in the modern era, when they reached the last eight in 2002.Afterwards, Pochettino said his team were never in the game and a learning process would begin to explore why.One of the team's star players, Tyler Adams, said it had been a bad day and they had come up short. "We didn't go as far as we'd like."Here's what pundits and fans have been saying.To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Watch: Fans react to US World Cup loss after Balogun red card dramaEven before kick-off, there were mistakes made on the American side, some commentators noted. Many pointed to the actions of US President Donald Trump, who asked FIFA to review a red card ban imposed on the team's main goalscorer. Folarin Balogun's suspension was overturned and he played."When people remember this team decades from now, the milestone wins, record number of goals and Country Roads will come to mind first" sports columnist Nancy Armour wrote for USA Today. (John Denver's song Take Me Home, Country Roads became an unofficial team an...