KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Diya TV) —

The Copa America tournament has ended for the United States men’s national soccer team. After a 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Monday, it’s a disappointing exit for the Stars and Stripes, especially with the loss coming on home soil. 

The United States went 1-2 in the group stage with the lone win coming over Bolivia in its first match. It was a fairly close match between the USA and Uruguay throughout but also some questionable officiating. Fans were quick to point out the flaws of the referees.

No call might have been bigger than the lone goal of the game which many people disputed as a clear offside. After review, the goal stood and ultimately was the difference in the match. 

It’s a dismaying tournament for USMNT after a promising World Cup run in 2022. Head coach Gregg Berhalter felt those sentiments.

“We are bitterly disappointed with the results,” Berhalter said. “We know we are capable of more and this tournament we didn’t show it. We should have done better… it’s an empty feeling right now.”

Berhalter’s job has been called into question after this tournament run. The main reason behind this is the lack of juice on offense. The US only managed to put three shots on goal against Uruguay and it led it to being on defense more than it would have preferred. Especially with scoring threats such as star Christian Pulisic, there is no excuse or officiating blame that can make up for not capitalizing on opportunities. 

The goal of the Copa America was to build experience for USMNT since it has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup as hosts. Matches against Brazil or Argentina would have been good in that regard. However, since the USA couldn’t make it out of the group stage, the questions surrounding matches against higher-quality opponents persist. 

There are still two years before the World Cup and that means time to figure out who should be leading this squad and what changes need to be made. For USMNT, the answers may lie in the Copa America tournament results.