Two years before the home World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the US team has already failed in the group stage of the Copa America on home soil.
Coach Gregg Berhalter's team lost 0:1 to Uruguay in Kansas City on Tuesday night. After two defeats in three games, the USA are only in third place in Group C. Uruguay won all three group games, while Panama finished second and advanced to the quarterfinals. A win against Uruguay would have been imperative for the USA to have a chance of reaching the knockout round of the tournament.
"We had a good start with a lot of energy, but at the end of the day the quality just wasn't enough," said AC Milan's Christian Pulisic on US television. Berhalter and the team were harshly criticized in the domestic media immediately after the elimination. The coach himself said: "We are bitterly disappointed with the result. We know we can do more. We didn't show it in this tournament. We should have been better."