Fox’s Dempsey, Donovan, and Lalas search for positives after Team USA’s World Cup elimination

Amid the aftermath of Saturday’s blowout World Cup loss to the Dutch, former Team USA stars Alexi Lalas, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey offered some positive takeaways as the young team looks forward to the tournament. 2026 in North America.

“Look back at 2018, where we were, when we didn’t qualify for the World Cup,” Dempsey said during the Fox Sports post-game show after the 3-1 round of 16 loss. ‘They made this country believe again.’

Dempsey’s point is undeniably true. The United States have gone from their disastrous failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia to a strong group stage performance in Qatar, drawing with Wales and England, while beating Iran, 1-0.

Former USMNT star Clint Dempsey: ‘Look back at 2018, where we were, when we didn’t qualify for the World Cup. They got this country to believe again’

Amid the aftermath of Saturday’s World Cup blowout loss to the Dutch, former Team USA stars Alexi Lalas (right), Landon Donovan (left) and Clint Dempsey (center) offered some takeaways positive as the young team looks forward to the 2026 Cup in North America

USA coach Gregg Berhalter and Christian Pulisic walk off the field after losing

And for a team that ranked among the youngest in the tournament with an average age of just 25, there’s reason to expect 2026 to be very different for Team USA.

“It’s the experience you get from being at the World Cup and coming out of the group that was one of the highest ranked in this whole tournament and they’re all in the top 20,” Dempsey said.

“That’s what we need, and we need to inspire these kids who are coming up, who are going to be 23, 22, 21 years old who are going to break into this team and make it better by 2026.’

‘They were watching.’

The 2026 squad could include several budding talents who failed to qualify for this year’s squad, including Rangers midfielder James Sands, 22, and FC Dallas forward Ricardo Pepi, 19, who He is currently on loan in the Netherlands.

Donovan, meanwhile, was pleased with much of what he saw in Saturday’s 3-1 loss. In particular, the former MLS star was pleased to see American players with European club experience hanging out with their Dutch counterparts.

“The midfield was fantastic,” he said. All these young players, playing in big clubs, they are not afraid of anyone, you can see that. They did not fear the Dutch.

Alexi Lalas (pictured) was offended by the fact that the US team did not take advantage of the mistakes made by the Netherlands, which he saw as a sign of immaturity on the part of the Americans.

Everyone agreed that the US team showed great promise early in the game, when almost all of the action took place in the Dutch backcourt.

Likewise, the ex-USMNT stars were happy to see this year’s team respond with Haji Wright’s goal in the 76th minute, when the Netherlands led 2-0.

“But even after they scored those two goals, we got that goal back, there was a moment where you’re like, ‘Could it be? Could we do it?’ Dempsey said. Tonight was too much for us.

But Lalas took offense at Team USA’s failure to take advantage of the Netherlands’ mistakes, which he saw as a sign of immaturity on the part of the Americans.

“I think the cruelty we were dealt with when it was a team like the Dutch, I mean, they handed us the game early on and we said, ‘No, it’s okay,'” Lalas said. “A ruthless team, and maybe that comes with age and a lot more experience, says, ‘Uh, uh, I’m going to bite your hand off and I’m not going to let you get away.'”

Landon Donovan (left) said coach Gregg Berhalter’s team showed they can play with a traditional soccer powerhouse like the Netherlands.

But Lalas wasn’t entirely disappointed in Team USA, going so far as to say “there’s a lot to be proud of.”

“There’s a lot to be excited about moving forward when it comes to this game,” Lalas said. And I’m not Pollyanna. I know there are issues both on and off the field when it comes to football, but I’m just telling you, man, you’ve got to have perspective. Way back in the 1900’s, we’ve come a long way, baby, we’ve still got a long way to go.

Donovan agreed, adding that coach Gregg Berhalter’s team has shown that it can play against traditional soccer powerhouses like the Netherlands.

“Gregg wanted these guys to change the way the world views us,” Donovan said. ‘In many ways, there have been many positives. What we saw tonight was naivety. In a few plays they punished us, that’s what a young team does. You will think that everyone will grow from this and be better.

USA’s Tyler Adams (L) comforts Yunus Musah (R) during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Netherlands and USA at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday