U.S. out because of defensive breakdowns

COUVA, TRINIDAD » Standing in the stadium tunnel near the U.S. locker room after the Collapse in Couva, captain Michael Bradley was asked over and over what went wrong.

How had the United States, a regional power that had made seven straight World Cup appearances, failed to qualify for next year’s tournament?

What led to the Americans’ stunning, crushing, almost farcical 2-1 loss to already eliminated Trinidad and Tobago that caused them to tumble to fifth in the six-nation final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region.

A year of defensive breakdowns under two coaching staffs did in the U.S., which finished with three wins, three losses and four ties.

“We like to hang our hat on the fact that we outwork teams and we press teams,” goalkeeper Tim Howard said. “They won a lot of second balls tonight and put us under pressure.”

A relentless work ethic the Americans relied on for years was absent too often.

In this cycle, the Americans not only lost their first home qualifier since the 2002 World Cup qualifying rounds, they lost two home games in a qualifying cycle for the first time since 1957 — during their 40-year absence from soccer’s top event.