If there is such a thing as the Trump Curse, it received one of its strongest pieces of evidence yet on Monday night.
After President Trump intervened (by his own account) to get FIFA to suspend American star Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban so that he could play in the Round of 16, the USMNT promptly laid a giant egg in primetime, getting blown out by the Belgians.
Adding insult to injury, with the game already well in hand, Belgium went up 4-1 in the 93rd minute thanks to a strike from Romelu Lukaku. As he celebrated, Lukaku gestured to the pro-American crowd at Seattle Stadium, as if to say he couldn’t hear them anymore.
After the match, the official X account of the Belgian men’s national team shared those images, capping them with a two-word caption: “Overturn this.”
Overturn this. 🧏♂️ #USABEL pic.twitter.com/KcBAJp3Z7d
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) July 7, 2026
It was icing on the cake for Belgian fans and the Royal Belgian Football Association, which made its feelings known about FIFA’s shocking reversal of the one-game ban and appealed the decision (which was denied).
“To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure for a copy of this decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report,” the Belgian body said in a statement. “Which is a breach of FIFA regulations.
“The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.”
Turns out, the only action needed took place on the pitch. Belgium took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Charles De Ketelaere nine minutes into the match. USMNT’s Malik Tillman tied things up at the 31-minute mark, but De Ketelaere quickly gave the Red Devils the lead once more. They never looked back, extending it to a 3-1 lead following a monumental gaffe by American goalie Matt Freese in the second half before Lukaku iced things in stoppage time.
“Some will dance around it. I’ll say it. The intervention of the president in the suspension of U.S. striker Flo Balogun’s suspension for the game killed the vibe,” wrote PFT’s Mike Florio. “It removed the justifiable chip on the U.S. team’s shoulder arising from an unwarranted red card on Balogun and shifted it to Belgium’s squad. The Belgian players had something extra. The U.S. team simply couldn’t match it.”
While the Trump administration and the U.S. pulled every lever to regain the advantage, it was Belgium that came away with the last laugh.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.