Chase Stewart | Staff Reporter
Posted July 2, 2014; 8:50 a.m.

The United States men’s national team lost in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday night to the Belgian national team by a score of 2-1.

Several Lindenwood students and alumni gathered to cheer on the U.S. team at VanBuskirk Artisanal Chocolate Bar, located on Hwy N in historic Cottleville, Mo.

Although Belgium dominated the pace of the game throughout, the score remained tied 0-0 through the entirety of the 90 minutes of regulation time. The 0-0 tie resulted in the two teams playing an additional 30 minutes of extra time.

The extra time yielded all three of the match’s goals, with Belgium netting both of its goals in the 93^rd and 105^th minute respectively. The United States responded with their only goal of the game in the 107^th minute of the match.

Despite being on the losing side, U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard was arguably the match’s most valuable player, recording 16 saves; the most by any goalkeeper at the World Cup in the last 50 years.

The loss marks the second consecutive World Cup that the U.S. team has been eliminated from competition in the round of 16. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. national team fell to Ghana in the round of 16.

Despite the loss, fans at the watch party were pleased with the team’s effort throughout the World Cup.

“I wanted to see them keep playing so it obviously is tough that they lost, but it was an incredible World Cup for the Americans and I am excited about the future of soccer in the U.S.,” said senior Andrew Helmick.

Junior Marissa Beavers also enjoyed watching the U.S. play in the World Cup and is already looking forward to the next tournament in 2018.

“This World Cup really got me excited about international soccer and it seems like the U.S. keeps getting better and better every year. We’re going to win one of these things here soon and I hope it is in 2018.”

With the win, the Belgians move on to face Argentina in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup on Saturday.