sport news Fox's Dempsey, Donovan, and Lalas search for positives after Team USA's World ... trends now

Amid the aftermath of Saturday's crushing World Cup loss to the Dutch, former Team USA stars Alexi Lalas, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey all offered some positives takeaways as the young squad looks forward to the 2026 tournament in North America.

'Look back to 2018, where we were, when we didn't qualify for the World Cup,' Dempsey said during Fox Sports' post-match program after the 3-1 loss in the round of 16. 'They got this country believing again.'

Dempsey's point is undeniably true. The US has gone from its disastrous failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia to a solid group stage showing in Qatar, drawing with Wales and England, while beating Iran, 1-0.

And for a team that ranked among the youngest in the tournament with an average age of just 25, there is reason to hope that 2026 will be much different for the US squad.

'It's the experience you get from being in the World Cup and getting out of the group that was one of the highest ranked in all of this tournament and everybody being in the top 20,' Dempsey said.

'That's what we need, and we need to inspire these kids that are coming up, who are going to be the 23-, 22-, 21-year-olds that are going to break into this team and make it better for 2026.'

'They were watching.'

The 2026 squad could include several budding talents who failed to qualify for this year's team, including 22-year-old Rangers midfielder James Sands and 19-year-old FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi, who is currently on loan in the Netherlands.

Donovan, meanwhile, was pleased with much of what he saw in

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