Serbia overtakes USMNT in first game of new cycle

The U.S. men's national team took the first small step toward the 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Serbia on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Brandon Vazquez gave the U.S. the lead, Luka Ilic tied it just before halftime and Veljko Simic put Serbia ahead a minute into the second half.

Less than two months after bowing out of the 2022 World Cup, the Americans -- bearing no resemblance to the squad that lost to the Netherlands