The United States faced a significant hurdle during the World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium. This game, held in Seattle on Monday, July 6, 2026, saw Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino leading the team.

However, two critical staff members were missing due to a suspension by FIFA. The organization did not clarify why Sam Zapatka, the team manager, and Frank Pannell, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s vice president of security, faced this disciplinary action.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed the suspension but did not provide additional details. They specified it was unrelated to the separate issue of lifting a red-card suspension for forward Folarin Balogun.

Zapatka, associated with the team as the administrative manager since 2020, has been a part of the U.S. Soccer Federation since 2015. Despite these challenges, the U.S. team was eliminated after a 4-1 loss to Belgium.