At major tournaments, what constitutes success can be a moving target. A pre-tournament goal can be reached, but how a team achieved that objective and the manner of its exit can do plenty to alter perceptions.
So it goes for the U.S. men's national team.
In the 2014 World Cup, the U.S. emerged from a difficult group to reach the round of 16, where it was bounced from the tournament in extra time by a talented Belgium side. That was enough for manager Jurgen Klinsmann to declare victory, even though the U.S. was outplayed for the vast majority of that World Cup and stylistically didn't look much different from previous American sides.