US knocked out of World Cup, loses to the Netherlands 3-1

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Christian Pulisic of the United States is dejected after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

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Weston McKennie of the United States reacts next to Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands, left, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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Gio Reyna of the United States, center, is dejected after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

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Head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States, left, walks with Christian Pulisic after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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Head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States, right, hugs his player Tim Weah after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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U.S. players react at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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Daley Blind of the Netherlands scores his side’s second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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Daley Blind of the Netherlands celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal with Memphis Depay of the Netherlands during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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Daley Blind of the Netherlands, celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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Memphis Depay of the Netherlands, right, celebrates with a teammate after scoring the opening goal of his team during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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Memphis Depay of the Netherlands celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

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Players of the Netherlands celebrate their side’s second goal by Daley Blind during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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goalkeeper Matt Turner of the United States reacts after failed to save the goal from Daley Blind of the Netherlands during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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Daley Blind of the Netherlands, centre, scores his side’s second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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Christian Pulisic of the United States, left, and Cristian Roldan of the United States react at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

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Tim Ream of the United States, left, leaves the pitch after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States, right, hugs with Walker Zimmerman of the United States at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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Haji Wright of the United States is comforted after losing the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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Christian Pulisic of the United States, left, is comforted by teammate Cristian Roldan at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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Weston McKennie of the United States is embraced by a team staff member at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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Tyler Adams of the United States, left, DeAndre Yedlin of the United States, Walker Zimmerman of the United States, right, react during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

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Weston McKennie of the United States leaves the pitch at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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Denzel Dumfries of the Netherlands, bottom, is congratulated after scoring his side’s 3rd goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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Head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States, and Christian Pulisic of the United States leave the pitch at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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Gio Reyna of the United States is dejected after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Netherlands won 3-1. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

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By Ronald Blum

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Christian Pulisic covered his face as he walked off. 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 with their cleats off.

“It hurts after a tough loss like that when we feel like we could have had more,” Pulisic said, managing a voice only just above a whisper. “We don’t want to feel like this again.”

The United States’ return to the World Cup ended with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands on Saturday in the round of 16. While the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and advanced to a quarterfinal with Argentina, the Americans contemplated how far they came and how short they fell.

Defensive lapses gave the Dutch a treat as Memphis Depay scored in the 10th minute and Daley Blind in first-half stoppage time.

U.S. hope revived when Pulisic’s cross hit the trailing foot of second-half substitute Haji Wright and popped over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net in the 76th. But Denzel Dumfries, named after actor Denzel Washington, scored on a volley in the 81st after assisting on the first two goals.

“The American public should be optimistic,” said Gregg Berhalter, the first person to play for and coach the U.S. team at a World Cup. “When you look at the way we wanted to play and did play, it should be positive.”

The U.S. hasn’t reached the quarterfinals since 2002 and was eliminated in the first knockout round, just like in 2010 and 2014.

After the American failure to qualify for the 2018, Yedlin was the only holdover on a roster that was the tournament’s second-youngest, 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 defender said, “and the feeling of defeat from 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 once and lost seven in knockout rounds since the championship launched in 1930.

“This tournament has really restored a lot of belief, restored a lot of respect to U.S. soccer and to soccer in our country,” McKennie said. “I think we’ve shown that we can be giants eventually. Maybe we may not be there yet, but I think we’re definitely on our way.”

Before a crowd of 44,846 at the renovated Khalifa International Stadium, Pulisic had a chance to put the U.S. ahead in the third minute. McKennie knocked a poor clearance back into the penalty area, but Noppert blocked his point-blank shot with his left thigh.

“I thought I was way offside when it happened, but I still hit it and he made a good save,” Pulisic said.

The Dutch went ahead when Cody Gakpo played the ball to Dumfries on the right flank. Depay sprinted into the penalty area as Adams failed to track him, and Dumfries one-timed a cross that Depay redirected inside Matt Turner’s far post for the first goal against the U.S. during the run of play in the tournament.

Blind scored in the first minute of stoppage time. Following a throw-in, Dumfries got a cross around Adams and Blind beat a late-arriving Sergiño Dest to the ball at the penalty spot for his first international goal in eight years.

Wright entered in the 67th and scored his second international goal on the unusual touch from three yards out, sparking U.S. hopes. But Dumfries was left unmarked by Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and scored off Blind’s cross from six yards for his sixth goal.

“When you play a team with so much quality like that and you give them three, four chances, they’re going to put three or four away,” Adams said. “We can show that we can hang with some of the best teams in the world, some of the best players in world, and that’s a lot of progress for U.S. soccer.”

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 the Earth. After every training and game we try to do a thing called grounding. It just helps put in perspective to come, good or bad.”

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 people back at home to fall in love with the game and tonight was not one of those nights, unfortunately.”

MOVING UP

Depay took sole possession of second in the Dutch career scoring list with 43 goals, trailing only Robin van Persie’s 50.

UP NEXT

The Americans begin the 2026 cycle with a match against Serbia on Jan. 25 in Los Angeles.

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