Rusty Weiss
Dave Portnoy did not hold back. Not even a little. But then, he rarely does.
After the U.S. Men’s National Team crashed out of the 2026 World Cup with a lopsided 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16, the Barstool Sports founder went full scorched-earth mode on social media. What started as a frustrated tweet quickly turned into a full-blown multi-post rant, complete with Portnoy dramatically ripping off his USA jersey and tossing it straight into the trash on video.
Portnoy’s Brutal Rant Goes Viral
“I don’t wanna be mean, but this team is embarrassing,” Portnoy wrote. “We’re never gonna actually be good at this sport as long as our D-tier athletes play it. What a clown show.”
US Soccer is not ready for primetime. I dont wanna be mean but this team is embarrassing. We’re never gonna actually be good at this sport as long as out D tier athletes play it. What a clown show
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 7, 2026
He didn’t stop there. Portnoy pushed back hard against any silver-lining talk, saying he didn’t want to hear that the future is bright or that the team should be optimistic.
“I don’t want to hear that the future is bright for American soccer,” he continued. “That they should be proud. That was a disgusting effort. We’re far closer to the bottom than the top. Just not a soccer country.”
In 4 years when the World Cup comes around again, I need everyone to remind me not to fall for Big Soccer’s tricks pic.twitter.com/K3usZ4JWRl
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 7, 2026
The match in Seattle started with some promise but unraveled fast. Belgium looked sharper and crisper, punishing American mistakes—most notably a costly blunder from goalkeeper Matt Freese that gifted the Belgians a goal. For many fans who bought into the home-soil World Cup hype, the performance felt like a massive letdown.
Fans Echo Portnoy’s Frustration
Portnoy’s reaction captured the raw frustration a lot of casual supporters were feeling. He’s been vocal about American soccer for years, often calling for bigger changes like a “soccer draft” to inject more elite athletes into the sport. Monday night’s blowout only poured gas on that fire.
In a video that quickly went viral, you can see him yanking off his hat and jersey mid-rant, clearly fed up after investing time and emotion into the team’s run.
Embarrassing effort from the United States. Lights were way too bright for US soccer team. Stage way too big. If we’re gonna keep creating international incidents over soccer it may be time to institute a soccer draft #usmt #soccer #usa pic.twitter.com/KRJanpBIhs
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 7, 2026
He’s probably right. French soccer icon Emmanuel Petit recently predicted that even if the US won the entire World Cup, it would still fail to transform America into a soccer-loving country.
“Even if they won the World Cup, I don’t think it would change anything,” Petit said. “American people like what is American. This is their culture and the way they live. Even if they do something great, it won’t change the culture of the country.”
Americans don’t like what they saw against Belgium, that’s for sure. They don’t enjoy it when their team lets them down. Many of them likely feel more like Portnoy, and less like a big-time soccer fan who will find a silver lining in their performance.
Portnoy’s take might come off as harsh to some, but he’s tapping into the same frustration a ton of fans are feeling right now. People are sick of the participation trophies and “moral victory” talk— they want real progress. For a sport that’s been trying to finally crack the mainstream in America, games like this don’t just hurt; they highlight exactly how big the gap still is.
