After the darkest week in modern American soccer history, a ray of light has risen from halfway around the world.
Over in India, the United States has reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup for the first time since 2005. The Americans beat the host nation and Ghana to reach the knockout rounds, then routed Paraguay, 5-0, in the round of 16. They will play England in the semifinals Saturday (10:30 a.m., Fox Sports 2 and Telemundo).
It’s coincidence that this success comes in the wake of the senior men’s team’s failure to qualify for its World Cup for the first time since 1986.