SEATTLE, Washington – The US Men’s National Team bowed out of the World Cup with a lackluster performance, both individually and as a team, in a 4-1 defeat to Belgium. Other than Malik Tillman’s deflected free kick that pulled his side back into the game, for a few minutes at least, there were no real positives to discuss.Instead, millions of American soccer fans, including over 66,000 roaring the team on, were waiting for the one that dominated Paraguay and shut out both Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to show signs of life. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Folarin Balogun all failed to make an impact up front; Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest could not get forward on the flanks, while the entire backline of Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, and Tim Ream looked lethargic and out of sync. Add to that Matt Freese’s blunder that led directly to a goal, and the blame for the World Cup departure can be shared equally.This was hailed as possibly the best US team ever leading up to the game, but once again they failed to get past a top European opponent in the Round of 16. Falling to Belgium at this point in the tournament is nothing new, but at least the US put up a fight in 2014, even if it required a record-breaking 16-save performance from Tim Howard.Here is a closer look at the USMNT’s individual performances against Belgium:Matt Freese (2.5) – He produced a brilliant save just 47 seconds in, tipping Castagne’s long-range shot out of the corner. He was also alert to deny Raskin’s close-range effort, which lacked precision (39th minute). However, a disastrous lapse in concentration then allowed Belgium to score the decisive third goal: after coming out well to meet an opponent’s long ball and having plenty of time, he squandered possession to De Ketelaere outside the box, leaving Vanaken to finish into the unguarded net.Antonee Robinson (2) – Struggled significantly from the start with the pace of his opponents on the left side of the defense. Was also a split-second too late in challenging de Ketelaere inside the box for the opening goal. After the break, he was called upon to play as a left-back in a back four and frequently pushed forward — yet continued to display serious technical flaws and extremely imprecise ball handling.Chris Richards (2) – A shaky overall performance from the defensive leader. He was too slow to close down Raskin — the provider of the assist — for the opening goal and was nutmegged in the process. He paid the price for his lack of pace against de Ketelaere in the build-up to the third goal. Finally, he effectively rolled out the red carpet for the Belgians to score their fourth goal by gifting the ball to Vanaken in a disastrous error. His best moment came when he headed away a dangerous shot from Trossard (86th minute).Tim Ream (2.5) – The captain was also far from the form he had shown earlier in the tournament, both defensively and in the build-up play. He lost the decisive aerial duel against goalscorer de Ketelaere for the 2-1 goal. With a bit more skill, he could have intervened and bailed out Freese for the 3-1 goal, but the ball ultimately slipped right under his foot.Alex Freeman (3) – He faced some difficulties dealing with the Belgian press during the build-up phase but remained undeterred, putting in a decent defensive performance right up to the closing stages. He attempted to support the overwhelmed Dest in the lead-up to the 2-1 goal but was unable to intervene in time. Inside the opposition box, he flicked the ball on with his head to Balogun prior to the latter’s first shot (45th minute). Following the tactical switch in the second half, he also performed capably as a right-back, though he did commit a very careless turnover leading up to the 4-1 goal — a strike that ultimately had no bearing on the final outcome.Tyler Adams (3) – Tried to plug gaps as a defensive screen in front of the back line but struggled to make an impact. Showed some imprecision during transitions and ultimately proved ineffective. Unlike many of his teammates, however, he avoided costly blunders.Malik Tillman (3) – The set play specialist covered a lot of ground, but apart from the deflected free kick to make it 1-1, he didn’t manage to do much. There were far too many inaccuracies in his passing game. It was symptomatic that he initiated a Belgian counterattack by losing the ball, then only knew how to help himself with a tactical foul on Tielemans, for which he was rightly shown a yellow card (69th).Weston McKennie (3) – He wasn’t really at fault for the opening goal, though he could have been more proactive inside his own box during Raskin’s delivery. He certainly put in the legwork and actively sought out duels, yet his efforts amounted to little more than disjointed play. That said, his cross from deep eventually set up Berhalter for a shooting opportunity (79th minute).Sergiño Dest (1) – Virtually everything went wrong for the right-sided player; consequently, after a poor first half, he was rightly substituted at the break. He was passive inside his own penalty area in the build-up to the opening goal, meaning the early deficit was largely his fault. He was again far too passive against Trossard, who provided the assist, for the goal that made it 2-1. He was also extremely error-prone in attack, struggling with both his combination play and his dribbling.Christian Pulisic (2.5) – Found himself mostly tracking back from the start, making a genuine effort to support Robinson in particular, though in doing so, he also demonstrated that defending is not one of his core strengths. He had virtually no impact in attack and was understandably substituted after getting injured less than an hour in.Folarin Balogun (2.5) – Was largely isolated as the central striker, struggled to make an impact on his own, and recorded just 19 touches. Reacted too slowly to Lukebakio in his own penalty area following a free-kick cross, allowing the opponent a free header (43rd minute). At the other end, fired the ball well over the bar after a long throw-in presented him with an unexpected chance at close range (45th minute). Broke through on goal in the 82nd minute following a pass from Reyna but was denied by Courtois from a slightly tight angle.Giovanni Reyna (2.5) – Came on at halftime as a potential playmaker but failed to find his rhythm in a match that had long since gone awry, and was visibly unsettled by the situation relatively quickly. He was notable primarily for misplaced passes or safe, short passes. The only noteworthy exception was his through-ball to Balogun leading up to the latter’s chance in the 82nd minute.Sebastian Berhalter (4) – He replaced Pulisic and was at least a lively presence. Even after the score had reached 4-1, he won the ball strongly in midfield. His drop-kick from distance, which shaved the post, was also one of the few bright spots for the USA (79th minute).Ricardo Pepi (-) – No fault could be found with his level of commitment, yet he failed to make an impact on the match.Haji Wright (-) – Even his substitution was of merely statistical significance.Max Arfsten (-) – A brief stint that left no lasting impression.