The United States Men’s National Team’s dream of winning its first World Cup came to an end with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to France in the tournament semifinals.

Despite the defeat, the Americans enjoyed their deepest World Cup run since 1930, when they also reached the semifinals.

The United States matched France stride for stride throughout the opening 45 minutes, taking a scoreless draw into halftime against one of the tournament favorites.

The breakthrough finally came in the 55th minute. France built an attack down the left flank before working the ball toward the top of the penalty area, where Kylian Mbappé was tripped as he drove toward goal. The French captain quickly regained his footing, continued his run, and fired a right-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Matt Freese and inside the right post for the match’s only goal.

France’s defense took over from there, smothering the American attack and allowing just one shot, none of which were on target. The French generated four shots of their own, placing two on frame, with Mbappé’s finish proving enough to secure victory.

France now advances to the World Cup final with an opportunity to reclaim the title after its heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Argentina in the 2022 championship match. For the United States, the tournament ends in disappointment, but its semifinal appearance marks one of the greatest achievements in the program’s history and provides optimism for the future.