America was disappointed but hopeful

After the World Cup round of 16, President Joe Biden also tried to get a deeply disillusioned US team back on track. “You have made us proud. We are standing up and moving forward,” the Democrat tweeted. “A bright future and 2026 here at home.”

The World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico in four years was not a real inspiration shortly after the team around Tyler Adams was knocked out 1: 3 against the Netherlands. “The World Cup is only every four years, it’s very unique and very painful because you have to wait four years,” defender Walker Zimmerman said. But running a tournament is definitely exciting and you want to inspire the next generation.

The current squad, which should be at the peak of their careers in four years, is already encouraging, with several specialists surrounding 24-year-old Christian Pulisic. “We made a lot of American fans proud with the way we played,” Zimmerman said. Coach Gregg Berhalter’s side, who reached the group stage unbeaten at home with the top-ranked side, drew 0-0 with the highly-regarded English – and they don’t stand a chance against the Dutch either.

“We had enough chances to score more than one goal,” said keeper Matt Turner, “but the potential is huge. We’ve played against England and the Netherlands and we’ve had tough spells for both teams.”

“I’m really proud of the guys’ performance. We’ve shown that we can compete with some of the best teams in the world and some of the best players in the world,” Adams said. “This is a big step forward for American soccer.” (sda/dpa)