Odds of them advancing from the group were -1600.
If you had bet ¥1 on this happening, your winnings would be ¥16
They are 11th in the world and 3rd in America in the FIFA rankings.
They were in a group stage with Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia. Two go through, two go out. Uruguay getting the top and Bolivia the bottom was assured – so the USA and Panamá battle it out for the 2nd qualifying spot.
The Panamá-USA head-to-head was the turning point. Timothy Weah, the son of George Weah who was president of Liberia until this January and scored that great goal for AC Milan in 1997, decided to punch a guy in the back of the head for no reason forcing them to play most of the game a man down and lose. That gives Panamá two victories (USA and Bolivia) and the USA two defeats (Panamá and Uruguay)
The Guardian are stressing a contentious offside decision in USA-Uruguay last night, but even without that decision they wouldn't've qualified.
I struggle to care about US soccer, but at this point it's hard not to blame the coaching. Unlike US teams of years past, all the talent you need to progress in tournaments is there. Sure, an individual red card against Panama is a blow, but it's still not a good excuse for crashing out against Panama followed by a tepid performance against Uruguay.
They aren't the worst team. They move the ball around well. What they lack is a point-man, a finisher.