United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino was present as his team faced off against Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 match held in Seattle on Monday, July 6, 2026. The match ended with the U.S. team losing 4-1, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
However, the match was overshadowed by the suspension of two key staff members of the U.S. soccer team. FIFA imposed this disciplinary action against team manager Sam Zapatka and the U.S. Soccer Federation’s vice president of security, Frank Pannell. The reasons behind their suspensions were not disclosed by FIFA.
The U.S. Soccer Federation also refrained from stating the exact cause but confirmed that the suspensions were unrelated to the appeal process concerning forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game red-card suspension. Balogun’s suspension had been successfully overturned prior to the game.
Sam Zapatka has been serving as the team’s administrative manager since 2020 and has been part of the USSF since 2015.
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