Pochettino: "It simply wasn't our day"

The fairytale run for the host nation, the USA, at the World Cup came to an end in the Round of 16 after a tough night in Seattle, culminating in a disappointing elimination by Belgium. The Americans never truly found their rhythm on the pitch, and immediately after the final whistle, Yankees coach Mauricio Pochettino analyzed the match, stating it simply wasn't their day.

"I think we all saw that from the very beginning, we didn't get into the rhythm of the game. We never really got into the match as a whole. Even when we scored to make it 1-1, the next situation was in the same vein; we couldn't get back on track. From the start, it was really tough. We congratulate Belgium; they were better than us. Today just wasn't our day. It's not about looking for excuses or finding arguments, because we didn't show what we usually can, and that's the reality," Pochettino stated.

The USA coach emphasized that this painful blow must serve as a serious lesson for his young squad, who will now need to analyze why they faltered at the most crucial moment:

"We need to learn from this; it's a process. We have to analyze the match and understand why we didn't approach it in the same way we did throughout the rest of the World Cup. The reasons are varied. Perhaps the explanation is quite simple – it wasn't our day, neither collectively nor individually. Of course, I am primarily to blame. We need to see what we did, because this wasn't the performance we usually deliver," the Argentine added.