U.S. knocked out of World Cup contention

Matt Besler of the U.S. team shows his frustration after a 2-1 loss against Trinidad and Tobago that eliminated the Americans from next year’s competition. Story,

The United States was eliminated from World Cup contention Tuesday night, with a shocking loss at Trinidad ending the Americans’ streak of seven straight appearances at soccer’s showcase.

Twenty-eight years after a stunning victory at Trinidad put the Americans back in the World Cup after a four-decade absence, their chances for next year’s tournament in Russia ended on this island nation off the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago scored a pair of firsthalf goals, and the United States was eliminated with a 2-1 defeat — the Americans’ first time missing the World Cup since 1986.

The U.S. entered its final qualifier with a berth uncertain for the first time since 1989. The 28th-ranked U.S. needed merely a tie against 99th-ranked Trinidad, but the loss — coupled with Honduras’ 3-2 win over Mexico and Panama’s 2-1 win over Costa Rica — dropped the U.S. from third place into fifth in the six-nation final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region.

■Lionel Messi’s three goals lifted Argentina into the World Cup on the last day of South American qualifying. Argentina beat Ecuador 3-1.

■France beat Belarus 2-1 to qualify for the World Cup, while a 2-0 home win for the Netherlands against Sweden was in vain as the Dutch failed to reach their second straight major tournament.