U.S. Men's Soccer Team Loses 4-1 to Belgium in World Cup Round of 16

The U.S. men's national soccer team lost to Belgium 4-1 in the round of 16 on Monday night in Seattle, eliminating the last of the tournament's three co-hosts. The match became the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S.

History, according to Fox, which reported an audience peak of more than 36.8 million viewers between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. ET and an overall reach of 30 million. That figure surpassed the previous record of 26.4 million set one week earlier during the U.S.

Match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The result capped a run that included the first U.S. World Cup knockout-stage victory in 24 years. The team opened with a 4-1 win over Paraguay, defeated Australia 2-0, lost 3-2 to Turkey, and advanced from its group before beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32.

A red card issued to striker Folarin Balogun in that match was later suspended by FIFA. Fortune reported that Citadel founder Ken Griffin played a personal role in securing coach Mauricio Pochettino. A Citadel spokesman confirmed Griffin's contribution as the largest among benefactors who helped fund the two-year deal.

Pochettino became the highest-paid coach in U.S. Soccer history with a base salary of roughly $6 million a year and collected more than $5 million, including a $2.5 million signing bonus, in his first seven months. U.S.

Soccer reported $264 million in revenue last year, with $50 million from donations, more than half of which carried spending restrictions. Griffin started playing soccer at age 6 and has funded 100 mini-pitches in Chicago and Miami-Dade County that serve more than 100,000 children and families. He received the U.S.

Soccer Foundation's #10 Award this year for that work. Griffin told Fortune after the loss that he was pleased with the team's progress under Pochettino and the excitement generated across America. He added that he looked forward to building on that momentum.