Watch: USA Fails To Qualify For 2018 World Cup After 2-1 Loss To Trinidad & Tobago

The U.S. Men’s National Team won’t be going to Russia next summer.

USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Qualifier Score

The Americans failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986 after suffering a brutal 2-1 loss to Trinidad & Tobago in Couva on Tuesday night.

“It was a perfect storm kind of a night, where everything that could have possibly went wrong did, in this stadium and two others,” said U.S. captain Michael Bradley. 

Bradley’s statement perfectly summed up the evening. Team USA needed only a tie or a win in order to qualify, having entered the night in third place in the six-nation CONCACAF group with 12 points behind table-leaders Mexico and Costa Rica. Losses from then-fourth-place Panama and fifth-place Honduras also would have benefited the Americans, but this did not materialize: Panama defeated Costa Rica 2-1 in Panama City with a late goal to reach its first-ever World Cup, while Honduras beat Mexico 3-2 in San Pedro Sula. Both of those games were also played on Tuesday night.

“We didn’t qualify for the World Cup,” head coach Bruce Arena said after the deat. “That was my job. We have no excuses. We failed today.”

The U.S.’s troubles began early, as Trinidad’s first goal was actually an own goal scored by defenseman Omar Gonzalez in the 17th minute. Following a cross from the right wing, Gonzalez attempted to beat forward Shahdon Winchester to clear the ball from the penalty box, but he accidentally lobbed the ball over goalie Tim Howard. 

Gonzalez said the goal would “haunt him forever.”

At around the same minute, Oribe Peralta gave Mexico a 1-0 lead over Honduras, but Honduras tied it in the 34th.

In the 37th minute — approximately one minute after Johan Venegas put Costa Rica up 1-0 — Alvin Jones doubled Trinidad’s advantage with a spectacular shot from about 35 yards out on the right flank.

Christian Pulisic — who has arguably played the best of all the players on the U.S. roster — made it 2-1 less than two minutes after halftime. Here is the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s strike:

The Americans saw some close scoring chances late in the second half, like Clint Dempsey’s 76th-minute low shot that hit the post, and Benny Feilhaber’s header off a left-wing Pulisic cross, a strike goalie Adrian Foncette managed to knock away.

Here is the moment when the U.S.’s failure to qualify became official:

Roman Torres scored the game-winner for Panama in the 88th minute, thus making the country finish third in the CONCACAF hexagonal, while fourth-place Honduras will face Australia in a two-leg playoff in November to see if it qualifies. The U.S. finished fifth in the table, and Trinidad in sixth.

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati — who faces re-election in February and whose term ends after the 2018 World Cup — said he was “extraordinarily disappointed.”

Trinidad and Tobago assistant coach Stern John — a former MLS and English Premier League forward — derided the USMNT’s complaints over the drenched field at Ato Boldon Stadium one day prior to Trinidad’s victory.

“There was a lot of fire in our eyes,” John told USA TODAY Sports. “I think it was disrespectful of them.”

COUVA, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – OCTOBER 10: Christian Pulisic (L) of the United States mens national team is tackled by Kevon Villaroel (R) of Trinidad and Tobago during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Trinidad and Tobago at the Ato Boldon Stadium on October 10, 2017 in Couva, Trinidad And Tobago. (Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena

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