The U.S. Under-20 national team saw its World Cup run thwarted in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals, ending a very encouraging tournament for a talented group.
For the American soccer fans who made a point to watch the U.S. Under-20 national team's World Cup quarterfinal loss to Serbia, the heart-wrenching nine-round penalty shootout loss is a memory that will linger for a while.
Four missed penalties doomed the U.S., even after goalkeeper Zack Steffen's heroics in goal, but as awful as the shootout round was, that brutal ending shouldn't overshadow what was a very encouraging tournament for the Americans.