The United States came close to achieving a huge result by reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup, but they were defeated 2-0 by Belgium in extra time. Despite this defeat, manager Jurgen Klinsmann has claimed that the players can return home with their head held high. The US were put in the ‘group of death’ and they were not expected to even qualify for the knockout stages. However, they joined Germany as the two teams to qualify from the group. They almost reached the quarter-finals by beating Belgium.
For long periods of the match it looked like United States would frustrate Belgium and take the match into penalties. The US goalkeeper Tim Howard had an exceptional match and created a record for the most number of saves made in a single match. However, he could not prevent former Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne from opening the scoring in the first few minutes of extra time. Then, Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku confirmed Belgium’s passage into the quarter-finals with a late goal.
The US now return home, but not without making a mark at the competition. As a result of the great performances from the team, viewership figures in North America have soared. President Barack Obama personally called up Tim Howard to congratulate on his performance.
“I’m very proud of our team. Every player on the field made their country proud with this performance in this World Cup. We are doing everything we can in every corner of the country to find the talent. We will continue to grow and grow, We are looking for all Americans around the world, no matter what background they have. It’s all part of globalisation. We have to learn more and more, we are in that process,” said the former Germany manager after the last 16 exit.