HOUSTON - As various dignitaries ascended the hastily built stage at the center of NRG Stadium on Sunday night, several of the U.S. men's national team's young players sat, dejected. A few had heads in hands. Others simply stared up at the roof, as if that would change what had just happened.
They were likely thinking about the moments that got away, the mistakes that had consequences, the calls - right or wrong - that impacted the outcome. Mostly, they were frustrated that they were not the ones set to ascend that stage to lift the 2025 Gold Cup.
Ultimately, the U.S. fell short. One goal short, but that's why they keep score. There would be no celebration, no culture-defining storybook ending about defying the odds. This was Mexico's day and Mexico's tournament - as it had been nine times before - and El Tri's 2-1 victory before a pro-Mexico crowd was tough to swallow.
There were moments of joy along the way, of course, and plenty of them - five consecutive wins to reach the Gold Cup final, which helped erase the sting of four straight losses entering the tournament.. There were a few on Sunday, too. Yet in the end, inexperience proved the USMNT's undoing - along with an attacking, threatening Mexico side.
"I told every player after the game how proud I was just of the growth of every single individual," said Tyler Adams. "As a team, you look around the locker room and I couldn't be more proud of the guys who just got so close over these last five weeks. So many sacrifices, so much to be here spending time away from their families, their clubs. To come together as a new group and make a final? It's a positive and we'll make sure it carries forward."
There will be plenty of discussion about what this tournament meant for the USMNT, good, bad and indifferent. There will be an attempt to contextualize an odd summer, one that both prepared the U.S. for 2026 and - with player absences galore - didn't. Still, there are no feel-good runners-up. In the end, all the U.S. could do was look up in frustration, realizing they had wasted an early goal and ultimately fell short.
As Mexico lifted the trophy with pyrotechnics exploding and raucous Mexico fans screaming, the U.S. players walked off. Only a few bothered to look back. It's onto the next, particularly with a World Cup a year away. But for those who grinded through this summer, Sunday's defeat will sting for some time.
"I think everyone grieves differently, but I think some people - and I know myself personally it hurt - but maybe it's something that needed to happen," Chris Richards said. "You take it on the chin and you keep pushing forward. And I promise you we won't lose anymore finals against Mexico. I threw my medal away. There's no point in having a silver medal. I think, as a nation, we strive for greatness. And I think, as individuals, we do, too. So, going forward, that's what we're going to do."
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from NRG Stadium.