AL RAYYAN, Qatar — At the final whistle Tyler Adams dropped to his knees outside the U.S. penalty area, overcome by exhaustion and emotion. Haji Wright struck a similar pose near midfield and stayed there a while, unwilling or unable to be consoled by a stream of well-meaning teammates.
But the Americans' World Cup-ending loss probably hit Christian Pulisic the hardest. As coach Gregg Berhalter wrapped a reassuring arm around his gutsiest player, Pulisic lifted his hands to his face to hide the tears.
Four days earlier Pulisic had been hospitalized after taking a knee to his pelvis, only to climb off the gurney and take a punch to the gut when Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Netherlands knocked the U.S. out of the tournament in the round of 16.
