GOAL breaks down how each member of the USMNT fared throughout their four-game run in Qatar
After eight years of waiting, the U.S. men's national team's World Cup return is now over. It lasted 12 days, with four chaotic games crammed in.
Four very different games, mind you. There was the win over Iran, the draws with England and Wales, the loss to the Netherlands. Each had a vastly different ebb and flow, even if some themes remained.
One such theme was the USMNT dominating possession, something they did against all four opponents for long stretches, which would have been unfathomable just a few short years ago.
Another was the lack of goalscoring, which ultimately led to the USMNT's downfall. It was always seen as a weakness, but the team's inability to put the ball in the back of the net was the start of the team's undoing.
Overall, though, the World Cup provided plenty of reasons for optimism. Individuals stepped up, some more than others, and the team played in a way that we hadn't quite seen at a World Cup before.
With that said, GOAL breaks down the winners, losers and player ratings from the USMNT's time in Qatar:
Getty ImagesWINNER: Tyler Adams
The USMNT's captain and their MVP. Adams was handed the armband ahead of the tournament and it seemed to give him superpowers. He was everything he always is but better, some kind of defensive midfield monster filled with the Super Solider Serum that makes the real Captain America who he is.
Or is it Adams the real Captain America? He was the one doing it all, after all. From battling Jude Bellingham to defusing geopolitical tensions during a press conference, Adams represented himself and his country as well as he possibly could have.
He ran more than any player in the tournament before the USMNT's untimely exit and, aside from one sequence against the Netherlands, didn't put a foot wrong the whole way.
And some bonus Adams-related winners for you: The first is the USMNT, who now have a backbone and, if they want, a captain for years to come. The second is Leeds United, whose $24 million (£20m) deal to sign Adams from RB Leipzig now looks like a bargain, as big clubs may soon come in to take a closer look.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Gio Reyna
Reyna's whole World Cup just had a cloud hanging over it, didn't it?
From the opening game against Wales, in which he didn't feature, Reyna's name was always in the headlines but not on the teamsheet. He went to Qatar as seemingly a pillar of the USMNT, he left with just two substitute appearances totaling just 51 minutes.
His lack of opportunities will go down as one of the USMNT's great mysteries, even if Berhalter's explanation makes perfect sense at face value. With Pulisic and Weah out wide, there was simply no room for Reyna. No conspiracy, no ulterior motive, just tactics.
There will be those that don't believe that, spurred on by Eric Wynalda's claims of a rift. But there's no evidence that anything went wrong.
Now, we'll have four years to see what happens with Reyna, a supremely talented player that just may not have had a position inside Berthalter's system.
Maybe that changes on the road to the 2026 tournament, no matter who's coaching, but Reyna will likely look back at his first World Cup as a slight disappointment.
GettyWINNER: Tim Ream
This will most certainly be the first and only World Cup Ream plays in. And, boy, was it worth the wait.
What a performance this was from Ream, who turned back the clock in terms of his performances and provided veteran wisdom in equal measure. He spent World Cup qualifying away from the team and, seemingly, out of the picture. By the end of the World Cup, though, you could argue he was the USMNT's best player.
What a moment this was for Ream, who started to tear up while talking to media after the Netherlands defeat. He made sure to appreciate every single moment, every training session, every game of a World Cup that, for some time, he thought he'd never see.
Cheers to Ream for that. He's one of American soccer's good guys, a player that has never gotten the credit or admiration he's deserved. He's earned it now and he should look back on this tournament with pride.
GettyLOSER: Ricardo Pepi
No, he wasn't on the roster, but you know he was watching. And he must have been thinking "What if?"
As he watched the USMNT strikers fail to make an impression, Pepi must have been wondering if he could have been the guy that could have changed the trajectory of the tournament. Josh Sargent, Jesus Ferreira and Haji Wright were chosen ahead of him and none of them, ultimately, were able to really shine.
That must have made it even more difficult for Pepi, the USMNT's leading scorer in qualifying. He'd been in good form before the squad was announced after essentially a wasted year that was too much to overcome.
But, as the U.S. played hopeful cross after hopeful cross, Pepi must have thought he could have gotten on the end of at least one of them.
Same for Jordan Pefok, who actually may have been the best fit for the USMNT's style of play.