AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Christian Pulisic covered his face as he left. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta gathered for a group hug. Tim Weah, DeAndre Yedlin and Sean Johnson sat on the field in a small circle without the spots.
“It hurts after a tough loss like this when 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.”
The United States’ return to the World Cup ended with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the Round of 16 on Saturday. As the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and advanced to the quarter-finals with Argentina, the Americans contemplated just how far. they came and how they fell short.
Defensive errors gave the Dutch a treat as Memphis Depay scored in the 10th minute and Daley Blind scored in first-half stoppage time.
U.S. hope was revived when Pulisic’s cross hit the back foot of second-half substitute Haji Wright and bounced over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net in the 76th. But Denzel Dumfries, named after actor Denzel Washington, volleyed home in the 81st after assisting the first two goals.
“The American public should be optimistic,” said Gregg Berhalter, the first person to play and coach the American team in a World Cup. “When you look at how we wanted to play and how we played, it should be a positive.”
The U.S. has not reached the quarterfinals since 2002 and was eliminated in the first knockout round, as it was in 2010 and 2014.
After the American failure to qualify for 2018, Yedlin was the only holdover from a list that was the second youngest at the tournament, averaging just over 25 years.
“Now they know that feeling of what it’s like to lose after putting so much into it,” the 29-year-old defenseman said, “and the feeling of defeat in the past can only fuel success in the future.”
The U.S. is winless in 12 games against European opponents at the World Cup since 2002 and has won one and lost seven in qualifiers since the championship was launched in 1930.
“This tournament has really restored a lot of belief, restored a lot of respect for American soccer and our country’s soccer,” McKennie said. “I think we have shown that we can finally be giants. Maybe we’re not there yet, but I think we’re definitely on our way.”
In front of a crowd of 44,846 at the renovated Khalifa International Stadium, Pulisic had a chance to put the United States ahead in the third minute. McKennie sent a poor pass into the penalty area, but Noppert blocked his shot at point-blank range with his left thigh.
“I thought he was very offside when it happened, but I still hit and he made a good save,” Pulisic said.
The Dutch took the lead when Cody Gakpo played the ball into Dumfries on the right. Depay sprinted into the penalty area when Adams failed to track him, and Dumfries delivered a cross that Depay redirected inside Matt Turner’s far post for the first goal against the United States during the course of the tournament.
Blind scored in the first minute of injury time. After a throw-in, Dumfries crossed for Adams and Blind beat the late Sergiño Dest to the ball in the penalty spot for his first international goal in eight years.
Wright came on in the 67th and scored his second international goal with an unusual touch from three yards, rekindling US hopes. But Dumfries were left unmarked by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and scored with Blind’s cross from six yards for his sixth goal.
“When you play a team with as much quality as this and you give them three or four chances, they’re going to put three or four away,” Adams said. “We can show that we can be with some of the best teams in the world, some of the best players in the world, and that’s great progress for U.S. soccer.”
The players didn’t want to leave the field at first, wanting more time together.
“Just putting perspective and reflecting on the journey,” Yedlin said. “Just giving thanks to Earth. After every practice and game, we try to do something called earth. It just helps put the future, good or bad, into perspective.”
Others absorbed the defeat without words.
“Just looking around that locker room, the silence is deafening,” Turner said. “We all want to create moments for the home crowd to fall in love with the game and tonight was not one of those nights, unfortunately.”
GOING UP
Depay was second on the Dutch career goalscoring list with 43 goals, only behind Robin van Persie’s 50.
UNTIL THE NEXT
The Americans begin the 2026 cycle with a game against Serbia on January 25 in Los Angeles.
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