The USMNT is out of Copa America with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay in their final Group C match.
It’s a humiliating result for the U.S., who were largely expected to advance out of what many considered the easiest group in the tournament, and it could have far-reaching consequences for the team. There is real doubt as to whether USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter will remain at the helm, with many calling for a change in leadership.
Unquestionably, the U.S.’ elimination is the program’s most high-profile failure during Berhalter’s tenure, which started in 2018. It is not, though, their most demoralizing failure. Far from it. If you’re the type of person that likes to lean into your grief, keep reading.
Costa Rica 1-0 USMNT, May 31, 1985
By the time of the USMNT’s final qualifier of the 1986 World Cup cycle, the whole of American soccer was in a tailspin. The North American Soccer League — the first real, top-flight league U.S. history — had closed up shop permanently just two months earlier. The national team was largely made up of players from the Major Indoor Soccer League and they rarely played the outdoor game outside of national team call-ups. Some team members even played in semi-professional leagues and held part-time jobs.
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Mexico, the dominant team in the region for decades, had already qualified for the 1986 World Cup as the host nation. In an era where only two teams from CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) qualified for the tournament, the USMNT was looked at as favorites to advance. They needed only a draw against Costa Rica to reach the next round and take a step closer to their first World Cup since 1950.
The U.S. was led by head coach Alkis Panagoulias. Born in Greece, Panagoulias was a “token offering,” says former USMNT defender Alan Merrick, “who truly believed that the so-called ‘American spirit’ would carry us alone.” He was short of technical acumen and long on inspirational quotes.
“In this country, somewhere out there, maybe in Harlem or Los Angeles, there is the next Pelé,” Panagoulias once said. “And not just one — maybe 20 or 30.”
None of them were present against Costa Rica. The U.S. had the lion’s share of possession and played a bright opening half hour, yet Costa Rica pulled ahead on a lucky strike. The U.S. had a half-dozen decent chances, all of which missed the mark.
Then, in the 73rd minute, a ray of hope. Defender Dan Canter fired in a shot that appeared to go in. The referee signaled for a goal, which was later waved off. It had hit the side netting. Twenty minutes later, the match ended. So did the U.S.’ hopes of qualification.
“I don’t know where we go from there,” midfielder Rick Davis told reporters after the match. “There was our best chance to make it to the World Cup. We won’t have another chance until 1990. Who knows where soccer in America will be by then?”
The defeat is among the darkest moments in U.S. soccer history, but it also marks a beginning. Panagoulias and a host of players would be shown the door, replaced by a generation of talent that would eventually lead the United States to its first World Cup qualification in 40 years.
Among the only players to survive that transition was Paul Caligiuri. He went on to score the billion-dollar goal, the famed “shot heard round the world” against Trinidad and Tobago that qualified the United States for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
Iran 2-1 USMNT, June 21, 1998
The U.S. entered the 1998 World Cup in France riding a wave of hype. They followed a solid showing at the 1994 World Cup on home soil with a series of wonderful results: a shocking run at the 1995 Copa America, the country’s first victory over Brazil in 1998, and a host of other respectable encounters against legitimately good teams across the globe.
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Under the surface, though, cracks had begun to show. Some of the squad’s veterans, many of whom were part of the ‘94 cycle, had butted heads with head coach Steve Sampson over roster decisions and their dwindling roles. Sampson added fuel to the fire when he brought in a series of foreign-born players, much to the chagrin of the team’s veterans. Sampson then excluded U.S. legend John Harkes from the final roster after learning that Harkes had been engaged in an affair with the then-wife of teammate Eric Wynalda.
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A difficult draw made the U.S.’ task in 1998 even tougher. After losing their opening match to Germany and with Yugoslavia ahead of them, the U.S.’ second match against Iran became a must-win.
The game was framed by decades-old turmoil between Iran and the United States, and as matchday approached, things grew tense. SWAT teams and snipers were present in the stadium and world governing body FIFA had mandated strict protocols for how both teams interacted before the match. The U.S. and Iran, seeking to make a statement, took a team photograph together, with the Iranians presenting the U.S. players with white flowers.
For his part, Sampson made a half-dozen changes to his starting XI from the Germany loss and altered his formation, as well. The U.S. started the game on the front foot, nearly pulling ahead on a Brian McBride header, which hit the post. But the Iranians were opportunistic, and they grabbed a pair of goals on the counterattack. The 2-1 loss, combined with other results, eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup.
The writing was on the wall for Sampson, who was dismissed not long after the tournament. Many of the team’s senior players, most notably veteran defender Alexi Lalas, sealed his fate by publicly criticizing him in the press. The 1998 debacle marked the end of an era for U.S. Soccer, with many of the team’s highest-profile players — those who had taken part in the 1994 World Cup — moving on from the program for good.
Germany 1-0 USMNT, June 21, 2002
The U.S. squad at the 2002 World Cup was a far cry from 1998’s group, a close-knit collection of players who battled for each other. This was maybe the U.S.’ most balanced, talented roster at any World Cup, including veteran experience and top-level youth talent in players like Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley. They were coached by Bruce Arena, arguably the greatest coach in American soccer history. And that’s to say nothing of the team’s stellar work as fashion models.
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By the time they encountered Germany in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, the U.S. had already given its fans a pair of incredible memories. They opened play by beating Portugal 3-2 — among the USMNT’s all-time biggest upsets — and they dismantled Mexico in the round of 16. Only mighty Germany stood between the U.S. and a date in the World Cup semifinals.
More specifically, Torsten Frings’ arm stood between them and the World Cup semifinals.
Germany, the tournament’s eventual runners-up, had pulled ahead 1-0 but had looked shaky doing so, conceding chances to the U.S. In the 50th minute, Claudio Reyna played a corner in, which was deflected toward the far post by defender Eddie Pope. Current USMNT boss Berhalter was right there and lunged, deflecting the ball goalward. Frings, who had positioned himself at the far post, deflected the ball away from the goal with his left arm.
It’s unclear whether it was intentional or not, but it doesn’t really matter. This was not denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, it was denial of a clear goal. Referee Hugh Dallas should have awarded a penalty kick and possibly a red card but did neither, despite the wild protestations of nearly every USMNT player on the field.
Years later, the loss — and the handball — remain a sore subject for USMNT players and fans alike, and the entire situation likely remains U.S. soccer’s biggest “what could have been” moment.
Mexico 4-2 USMNT, June 26, 2011
Has there ever been a single goal that’s more gut-wrenching to watch, for USMNT fans, than Giovani dos Santos’ wonder goal for Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final?
This Giovanni Dos Santos goal isn’t spoken about enough pic.twitter.com/ARAKF8FfrW
— Former Footballers (@FinishedPlayers) May 19, 2024
It seems to go on forever. Dos Santos collects the ball at the near edge of the six-yard box and starts a hypnotic, backwards shuffle that draws three U.S. defenders, along with U.S. keeper Tim Howard, progressively further and further away from goal. After what seems like an eternity, he floats a ball toward the back post, just inches over the head of U.S. defender Jonathan Bornstein. The entire sequence lasts six seconds. It feels like hours.
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Things had started out so brightly for the USMNT, with stalwarts Michael Bradley and Donovan grabbing goals against the run of play to put the U.S. ahead 2-0 after 23 minutes. At no point in the match, though, did the U.S. look competitive. Playing against a young, talented Mexican side that featured a host of future Mexican legends, the U.S. was played off the field.
The goal sealed a humiliating defeat for the USMNT, their second consecutive Gold Cup final loss to Mexico, their most hated rival. It also cost U.S. head coach Bob Bradley his job and pushed the team toward its most polarizing head coach in history: Jurgen Klinsmann.
Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 USMNT, October 10, 2017
Few U.S. fans had heard of Couva (population 45,000) before the USMNT played a decisive qualifier there in the fall of 2017. Now, the little town in Trinidad is seared into the collective consciousness of every U.S. fan across the globe. The name alone is a bit of a trigger word.
It was there that a shocking result eliminated the U.S. from qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
The seeds of the defeat in Couva were planted by Klinsmann, who led the U.S. through a miserable qualification cycle. After losing to Mexico and Costa Rica in the opening matches of the final stage of qualification, Klinsmann — who by then had been at the helm for over five years — was fired by U.S. Soccer and replaced with Arena.
Arena, by most metrics the most successful coach in USMNT history, set about trying to repair the damage. The U.S. breezed through a few games but then stuttered. Still, they seemed in excellent shape entering the match in Couva: there were 27 possible permutations in terms of teams in their group winning, losing or drawing, that would avoid eliminating the U.S. from qualification entirely. There was just one that wouldn’t.
Trinidad and Tobago entered the match with little to play for, having already been eliminated. But games between these two opponents are always tinged with that famous 1989 win, when Caligiuri put a dagger in the heart of the Caribbean nation. The U.S. did little to help their cause by posting video on social media of the field conditions in Trinidad, a jab many viewed as insensitive given the resources available to the tiny nation.
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In turn, the Soca Warriors came to play. They got on the scoresheet first, through an own goal by U.S. defender Omar Gonzalez. Things went from bad to worse after T&T right back Alvin Jones ripped a 35-yard curler toward U.S. keeper Tim Howard, who dealt with the effort poorly, and all of a sudden the U.S. were in over their heads. USMNT midfielder Christian Pulisic handed his team a lifeline with a goal early in the second half but the U.S. never found an equalizer.
Elsewhere in the region, other teams had pulled off their own upsets. Panama and Honduras had beaten Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively, and earned the right to advance. The unthinkable, to many, had happened. The USMNT was eliminated.
Arena resigned almost immediately. USMNT fans, who had long grown accustomed to qualifying in every World Cup cycle, called for widespread change. The match marked the end of the line for a generation of U.S. legends — Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Howard, and Jozy Altidore, to name a few.
Arena’s long-time assistant, Dave Sarachan, was handed the keys on an interim basis. And that brings us to Berhalter.
(Top photo: Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
