KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. men’s national soccer team entered Copa América intent on proving its mettle two years before the World Cup. It wanted to show how much its young players have grown under Coach Gregg Berhalter and, in a fabled South American tournament, that it could go toe to toe with the sport’s heavyweights.
On the final night of Group C play, in a match they almost certainly needed to win while another game with bearing on their fate unfolded in Orlando, the Americans played hard and they played well. But they did not do enough, falling to powerhouse Uruguay, 1-0, and dropping out of the competition.