Costa Rica and Panama were overwhelmed at the World Cup, both going two and out.
What does that say about the United States, which didn't even make it to soccer's showcase? "It's an extra twist of the knife," said former U.S. forward Taylor Twellman, now ESPN's lead soccer analyst.
"It's another reminder that the failure to qualify is an absolute debacle."
"I feel strongly that we should have been the third team, but we have no one to blame but ourselves."
"I know that Panama finished ahead of the United States in the qualification phase, but with all the previous experience the United States would have, I've got to believe and I do believe that they would have done much better than Costa Rica and Panama in this World Cup."
"We still rank behind only UEFA on CONMEBOL in terms of points per game in World Cups historically, but obviously now our fate in terms of a run is in the hands of Mexico."
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