AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) – Christian Pulisic covered his face as he walked away. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta gathered for a group hug. Tim Weah, DeAndre Yedlin and Sean Johnson sat in a small circle with no studs on the field.
“It hurts when after such a heavy defeat we feel like we could have had more,” Pulisic said, managing a voice just above a whisper. “We don’t want to feel that way again.”
USA’s return to the World Cup ended with a 3-1 defeat by the Netherlands in the round of 16 on Saturday. As the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and progressed to the quarterfinals with Argentina, the Americans considered how far they would come and how short they fell.
Defensive mistakes gave the Dutch a treat as Memphis Depay scored in the 10th minute and Daley Blind scored in first-half injury time.
US hopes were revived when Pulisic’s cross caught the back foot of second-half substitute Haji Wright and went over goalkeeper Andries Noppert (76′). But Denzel Dumfries, named after actor Denzel Washington, scored with a volley in the 81st after assisting the first two goals.
“The American public should be optimistic,” said Gregg Berhalter, the US team’s first player and coach at a World Cup. “If you look at how we wanted to play and have played, it should be positive.”
USA have not reached the Quarterfinals since 2002, going out in the Round of 16 like in 2010 and 2014.
After the American failed to qualify for 2018, Yedlin was the sole remnant in a roster that was the second youngest at the tournament, averaging just over 25 years.
“Now they know what it feels like to lose after investing so much,” said the 29-year-old defender, “and feeling defeat in the past can only fuel success in the future.”
The USA have been unbeaten in 12 games against European opponents at the World Cup since 2002 and have won once and lost seven in knockout rounds since the championship began in 1930.
“This tournament has really restored a lot of trust and respect for US soccer and soccer in our country,” McKennie said. “I think we showed that we can be giants at some point. Maybe we’re not there yet, but I think we’re definitely on our way.”
In front of 44,846 spectators at the renovated Khalifa International Stadium, Pulisic had a third-minute chance to give the USA the lead. McKennie knocked a poor clearance back into the box, however Noppert blocked his free shot with his left thigh.
“I thought I was pretty offside when it happened, but I still hit it and he made a good save,” Pulisic said.
The Dutch took the lead when Cody Gakpo played the ball down the right flank to Dumfries. Depay sprinted into the box when Adams wasn’t chasing him, and Dumfries once played a cross that Depay diverted into Matt Turner’s far post for the first goal against USA during the tournament.
Blind scored in the first minute of added time. After a throw-in, Dumfries got a cross around Adams and Blind hit a late-arriving Sergiño Dest at the penalty spot for his first international goal in eight years.
Wright stepped in the 67th and scored his second international goal with the unusual touch of the ball from three meters, raise hopes in the United States. but Left uncovered by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson, Dumfries scored his sixth goal from a Blind cross from six yards out.
“If you’re playing against a team with that much quality and you give them three or four chances, they’re going to take three or four,” Adams said. “We can show that we can compete with some of the best teams in the world, some of the best players in the world, and that’s a huge step forward for US soccer.”
The players didn’t want to leave the field at first and wanted more time together.
“Just take perspective and think about the journey,” Yedlin said. “Just to thank the earth. After every practice and game we try to do something called grounding. It just helps put what’s coming in perspective, good or bad.”
Others accepted the defeat without a word.
“If you just look around this dressing room, the silence is deafening,” Turner said. “We all want to create moments for people at home to fall in love with the game and unfortunately tonight wasn’t one of those nights.”
UP
Depay finished second in the Dutch career scorers list alone with 43 goals, trailing only Robin van Persie’s 50.
NEXT
The Americans begin the 2026 cycle with a game against Serbia on January 25 in Los Angeles.
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