Uh oh.

In less than two years the World Cup is coming back to the U.S. and we’re not ready. Not even close.

That was obvious Monday, when a 1-0 loss to Uruguay knocked the U.S. out of the Copa América after three games. It was the first time in 20 global or continental tournaments that the national team has gone out in the group stage and the first time a Copa América host had failed to advance.

The next tournament to come here will be the 2026 World Cup.

Moving the Copa América, South America’s quadrennial championship, to the U.S. was meant to be a dress rehearsal for 2026. The plan was to expose problems with the stadiums, the training facilities, transportation and infrastructure.

What was exposed instead were the failures of the national team.

“Bitterly disappointed with the results. We know we’re capable of more, and in this tournament we didn’t show it,” coach Gregg Berhalter said.

Asked if he’s still the right man to lead the team, the long-embattled coach answered yes. That may not be the right answer though. A couple of hours later Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, issued a statement that was far from a show of support.

“We must do better,” he said. “We will be conducting a comprehensive review of our performance in Copa América and how best to improve the team and results as we look towards the 2026 World Cup.”

When the World Cup first visited a generation ago, the U.S. didn’t have a first-tier professional league and had qualified for the tournament just once in the previous 44 years. Expectations for the team were nonexistent, so making it to the round of 16 was considered a success.

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