El Paso USA fans hang their heads high following Round of 16 loss to Belgium

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- For nearly a month, the FIFA World Cup brought fans across the Borderland together as the U.S. Men's National Team continues to surprise in it's now lengthy run in the tournament.

Monday, Team USA returned to the pitch to take on Belgium in the Round of 16 in Seattle, and fans repping their red, white and blue seemed to be as enthusiastic and hopeful as ever.

However, that excitement quickly faded over the course of Monday night, as the Americans fell to the Belgians by a final score of 4-1, marking it the second straight Men's World Cup the U.S. was eliminated by European team by three goals in the Round of 16.

Their energy prior to the match came to light after a stunning decision by FIFA Sunday morning -- suspending a red card penalty on USA forward Folarin Balogun and allowing him to play in Monday's match.

Balogun, who scored three goals in USA's first four World Cup matches, brings a much-needed boost to the the team while sparking much discussion and controversy on the timing of FIFA's decision.

Regardless, fans were optimistic about the future of U.S. men's soccer following this year's World Cup.

"I think they're attracting a more crowd and I think soccer is going to grow in the US within like the next ten years," Mike Nevarez, an El Paso native and USA fan told ABC 7. "Maybe in like 12 years, we're probably gonna be competing for a championship.