The picture quickly became one of those iconic snapshots that distill so many emotions into a single visual. Emerson Hyndman and Paul Arriola sunk to their knees, their palms cradling their faces. Marky Delgado’s face was buried in the sod, his body hunched over in distraught repose. Rubio Rubin and Cameron Carter-Vickers played the role of the emotional shield, consoling shattered teammates.
This is the way the U20 World Cup ended for the U.S. Not with a bang, or a whimper, but with a shuddering, convulsive loss.
Serbia’s 6-5 win over the U.S. on penalties after 120 scoreless minutes in the quarterfinals of the U20 World Cup in New Zealand was an unusually difficult pill to choke down. By any measure, a pair of group victories and a solid win in the Round of 16 had allowed this team to reach some level of expectation before the game was even played. Knockout round wins in this competition have been exceedingly rare. The team’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the previous round was its third such win in 20 years.
