HOUSTON | All things considered, it’s safe to categorize the U.S. national team’s run to the Copa America Centenario semifinals as a success. Joining Argentina, Chile and Colombia — three of the world’s top five-ranked teams — at that stage made for lofty company. In doing so, the Americans outlasted rival Mexico and traditional power Brazil.
But while the U.S. reeled off three straight wins to book that semifinal berth, its bid for the title began and ended in disappointment. After dropping a 2-0 result to Colombia to open the tournament, the Americans were thoroughly outclassed by top-ranked Argentina in a 4-0 loss Tuesday at NRG Stadium.
“At the moment, it’s still a big disappointment,” U.S. captain Michael Bradley said postgame. “You get to this point and nobody has the mentality that all of a sudden just because you get to the semifinal you’re playing with house money. It doesn’t work like that. The idea was to take it another step farther and to get ourselves into a final, and we weren’t able to do that.”
The comprehensive defeat, which saw Argentina jump to a third-minute lead and hold the U.S. without a shot, served as a reminder of the divide between the Americans and soccer’s elite.
While U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann started a mixture of MLS standouts and role players from European clubs, Argentina’s lineup was filled with highly paid stars playing for the world’s top teams. And the Albiceleste were captained by five-time world player of the year Lionel Messi, who sunk a stunning free kick for the night’s second goal.
That dynamic led to a sense of awe that, in Klinsmann’s mind, only compounded the challenge at hand.
“You were trying to scream into the field, saying, ’Go with them, become physical, step on their toes,’” Klinsmann said. “You could clearly see in that moment that once we were 1-0 down we had far too much respect.”
It’s a perspective that wasn’t entirely shared across the U.S. locker room, with Bradley saying he disagreed with the notion but respected his coach’s opinion. Whether the gap is stemmed more in talent or mentality, it’s clear the U.S. is not yet equipped to test the world’s top teams.
But group stage victories over Costa Rica and Paraguay and the quarterfinal triumph against Ecuador were impressive results. Coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2015 Gold Cup, a loss to Mexico in last fall’s Confederations Cup playoff and a turbulent start to 2018 World Cup qualifying, the U.S. now finds itself on calmer waters.
“We look at all of this, and we’ll do that after the tournament is over and assess where we are and how we’ve done,” U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said. “Obviously the three consecutive wins was good. Today and the Colombia game were less good.”
The U.S. now turns its focus to the third-place match Saturday in Phoenix against the loser of Wednesday’s semifinal between Colombia and Chile. Essentially an exhibition, the game does present an opportunity for the host nation to put the blowout loss against Argentina to bed and shift attention back to the big-picture narrative.
“It was a huge tournament to be involved with,” goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. “We always knew it was going to be difficult. These are good teams from down in South America. It was going to be a big test for us. To get to the semifinal of a Copa America, it’s a good accomplishment.”
After the third-place match, the U.S. will return to the field when World Cup qualifying resumes in September. With two years now separating the Americans from their next potential appearance at a major tournament, the U.S. roster figures to change.
As veteran role players move on, the likes of Darlington Nagbe and 17-year-old Christian Pulisic — newcomers sparsely used at the Copa America — figure to push for more minutes. For the core group that steered the U.S. to the semifinals this summer, the evolution continues.
“We learn from these games,” Klinsmann said. “We’re very grateful to this Copa America that we are a part of it and that we made it into the final four. There will always be a step backwards and then we will go two more forward. That is a part of our process.”
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