LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney stated that the U.S. men's national team was "too naive" in its World Cup knockout stage loss to Belgium, a mindset that put the Americans on their heels. Vanney believes this lack of preparedness was evident "from top to bottom" and made it difficult to recover against a world-class opponent.
Vanney also addressed Christian Pulisic's performance during the tournament, attributing his struggles to an injury sustained in the opening match. "The World Cup waits for no one; it gets progressively harder every round, and he didn't have the time to find his rhythm," Vanney explained. He added that carrying a knock in such a high-stakes competition risks losing form and connection to the team's system, though he affirmed Pulisic's status as a "world-class player who belongs on this stage."
Vanney's comments came shortly after the U.S. team's elimination and as the Belgian national team was scheduled to train at Dignity Health Sports Park. Belgium's move to the venue was a last-minute change due to turf damage at their original training site.
While reflecting on the national team's performance, Vanney's focus has since returned to the LA Galaxy as they prepare for an upcoming match against LAFC. The team will be without players Gabriel Pec and Mauricio Cuevas for that fixture.