U.S. Men’s Team Fails to Qualify for World Cup

The team caught a bunch of unlucky breaks, and will have to wait until 2022 to try again.

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Christian Pulisic of the United States mens national team reacts to the referee's call during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Trinidad and Tobago at the Ato Boldon Stadium on October 10, 2017

US soccer player

Maybe in 2022, guys.

The USA men's team has been eliminated from the World Cup. A series of bad breaks in qualifying games on Tuesday night, including their own surprise 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago, means that the team will not have a slot in the 2018 World Cup.

Here's how it went down: in addition to their own stunning defeat, Panama beat Costa Rica, pulling ahead 2-1 with mere minutes left; and Honduras beat Mexico 3-2.

Those circumstances meant that both winning teams passed the US in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) standings, leaving America in fifth place, behind Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras. The latter two tied in points, but Panama won in goal difference. Only the top four teams make it to the World Cup.

There was a certain amount of poetic justic in the USA's loss. Back in 1989, Trinidad and Tobago was eliminated from World Cup consideration by the USA, moving the Americans into the big contest for the first time since 1950. As you might expect, Ricardo Montalban has the perfect quote for this situation:

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