Heartbreak for home country, elation for home-base team in last Seattle match

Monday saw too many lows and not enough highs for the fans of the Stars and Stripes, which is officially knocked out of the FIFA Men's World Cup.

At the final match scheduled for Seattle, Belgium dominated the pitch and won by an astonishing 4-1, giving the U.S. contingent emotional whiplash. A full house of 66,925 attendees - mostly fans sporting red, white and blue - watched the U.S. team's demise.

It's a bummer, but this was an awesome experience," said Patrick Dailey, a 50-year-old U.S. fan from San Diego, as he left his seat and exited before the final whistle. As his first-ever World Cup game, "I'd do it again, no question."

A bright side for Seattle: It emerged as a winner in its own right, impressing tourists with its walkability, easy transit and beauty. Now, its tenure as a World Cup host city comes to a close - at least for now. The city hopes its showing will boost a bid to help host the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2031.

"This downtown is as incredible as any place in the world," Bob Hultz, a 60-year-old Dallas resident and U.S. fan, said Monday as he was walking to the game.

Since the first match hosted in the Emerald City on June 15 at Lumen Field, known as Seattle Stadium for the tournament, locals have welcomed visitors from far-flung corners of the globe. Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, Senegal and Iran each played here once, with Egypt and the U.S. making two appearances each and Belgium showing up thrice. Belgium also called Renton home between matches.

Though the Pacific Northwest's moody weather and grunge roots make an ideal backdrop for the area's introverted population, locals came out of their shells for three weeks to party under the summer sun.

The tournament will continue - without the U.S. Belgium will advance to face off against Spain Friday in the quarterfinals.

Tensions remained taut throughout Monday's game.

The first U.S. match in Seattle took place during the group stage, when the stakes weren't quite as high. The energy at that game against Australia buzzed with a certain lightness and cheer.

Not so on Monday.

Fans of the Stars and Stripes were more festive, more dogged, more invested. By noon, the city was in a red, white and blue tizzy. Founding Fathers celebrated alongside fans with full faces of paint and long flags streaming down their backs like capes.

From Pine Street to Pier 62, throngs of U.S. men's national soccer team fans prepared for the matchup. Belgium fans were largely few and far between.

Brothers Alex, Chris and Brian Linkin stopped by Pike Place Market to grab European beers before marching with fellow U.S. fans from Pier 58 to Seattle Stadium. They traveled to Seattle from Albuquerque, N.M., twice to watch both of their team's games in the Emerald City.

Asked how he felt ahead of Monday's match, Alex responded, "Come find me in a couple of hours."

Another U.S. fan, Rob Thal, shelled out top dollar for a ticket.

"It's the biggest sports event in Seattle since '79, when the Sonics won the NBA championship," the downtown Seattle resident said, heading south on Second Avenue astride a Lime bike. "And I wasn't around for that."

Belgium's contingent - though noticeably smaller - was just as hyped.

After arriving from Belgium, Koen Naulaerts had an extensive North American journey. He purchased a car in Newfoundland, then drove across the country to Vancouver, B.C. From there, Naulaerts reached Seattle for Belgium's first match last month.

He's driven between Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver for all of his team's matches, putting 13,000 miles on the vehicle.

"The first game that we played here was also the first game in Seattle, so we came two days early, and nothing was alive," Naulaerts said.

On Monday, the crowd was much better, in his opinion.

"Oh, times 100," Naulaerts said. "It booms."

However, the small contingent's reaction to Belgium's goals were the quietest of any recorded at Seattle Stadium throughout the World Cup, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which uses seismometers to measures the shaking caused by fans.

"That was tough," said Zoe Krauss, a PNSN postdoctoral researcher.

The match between the U.S. and Belgium was marred with conflict before it even began. President Donald Trump phoned FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reconsider the suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after a red card, and Balogun was deemed eligible to play soon after.

Many Belgians bristled over the decision to reinstate him, with Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia comparing the move to an April Fools' Day joke.

In Seattle, fans adopted the saying.

"Like the coach said, it's a bit of an American April Fools," said Evelien Van Bauwel, who is Belgian and lives in Calgary, Alberta. "I just find it a bit sad that politics got involved with sports.

Before the game, chants of "USA! USA!" broke out every few minutes on the steps leading into Seattle Stadium. That confidence dimmed after the first goal by Belgium.

The crowd revived once more with the United States' first goal, throwing drinks in the air and embracing. Then, the festive mood took a swift downturn with Belgium's second goal just two minutes later.

Attendees kept an eagle eye on the pitch. U.S. fans sat on the edges of their seats, ready for an equalizer that never came.

Throughout much of the second half, the mood was grim. Worry, frustration, stoicism, exhaustion: Stars and Stripes fans felt all of the above, both inside and outside of the stadium. Meanwhile, Belgium fans kept up steady smiles and cheers, particularly when their team scored its third goal.

Then came the fourth, and hope was truly lost for the U.S.

While Belgium fans caroused, undeterred by the late afternoon heat, many U.S. fans trudged out of the venue before the match's official end.

They streamed out of Seattle Stadium, conversation kept to a minimum, as "Alors On Danse" by Belgian singer Stromae played overhead: the outro to the U.S.'s latest World Cup run.

Seattle Times reporters Daniel Beekman, Angela Lim, Penelope Jennings, Olivia Petty, Sofia Schwarzwalder and Paige Cornwell contributed to this story.

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