Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy expressed significant disappointment with the U.S. Men's National Team's effort in their World Cup exit, calling their performance "pathetic" and "embarrassing" following a 4-1 loss to Belgium.
Portnoy took to social media platform X to share his frustrations immediately after the match, stating the "lights were way too bright" for the team. He shared a video of himself removing his USA soccer apparel in reaction to the game's outcome.
"We're a f�itter� joke. That game was a f�itter� joke," Portnoy said, specifically criticizing goalkeeper Matt Freese's play. Freese's miscue outside the box led to Belgium extending their lead to 3-1 in the second half.
Portnoy suggested that if the U.S. continues to engage in "international incidents" related to soccer, such as the prior successful effort to overturn Folarin Balogun's one-game ban, the country should consider instituting a draft to bring in top athletes from other sports to bolster the soccer team. "Hey LeBron, no offense, you're going to play f�itter� soccer and all these other great athletes that we got, you got to go play soccer," he proposed.
He further characterized the current American players as "country club D-tier athletes" and expressed a desire for better talent to represent the nation in future tournaments, noting the four years until the next World Cup.
Despite his criticisms, Portnoy extended congratulations to Belgium for advancing. "As a proud American let me be the first to congratulate Belgium. You guys were the far superior team," he wrote. He also acknowledged that the controversy surrounding Balogun's ban seemed less significant in hindsight given the team's overall performance.
Other fans echoed Portnoy's sentiment, with some believing the loss would deter casual American interest in soccer. "Soccer lost more than the US did with this loss. This World Cup was supposed to turn American fans on to soccer with a much hyped Team USA. Now anytime a casual American fan sees a soccer game they will just be reminded of that keystone cops goal Freese gave up," one user commented on X. Another stated, "That was an embarrassing display! Pulisic is a fraud and the defense is an absolute joke!"