USA vs. Serbia: Score and Twitter Reaction for U-20 World Cup 2015

The USA's 2015 U-20 World Cup run came to an end at the quarter-final stage, as the team suffered a heartbreaking, penalty-shootout loss against Serbia.

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen was immense, stopping several shots, but ultimately, Nemanja Maksimovic scored the winning penalty after the match had ended 0-0.

The Yanks played an exceptional tournament but met their match in the Serbs, who dominated possession for large spells and deservedly walked away with the win. They'll face Mali in the semi-finals.

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl was excited for this match, the latest in what has already been a fantastic summer for world football in the U.S.:

The Yanks held possession early, with Serbia aiming to draw their opponents in and strike on the counter-attack. Cameron Carter-Vickers had the difficult job of keeping the Serbs at bay when that happened, while Tommy Thompson was the main danger man up front, combining well with Gedion Zelalem.

With so much at stake, it was hardly surprising that chances were far and few in between, via the Yanks' official Twitter account:

The conditions certainly didn't help, as there was a strong wind blowing at kick-off, and it soon started raining.

The Serbs started seeing more of the ball as the first half progressed and mustered the better chances. Steffen had to be at his very best to deny efforts from Andrija Zivkovic and Miladin Stevanovic, and Goal's Ives Galarcep was one of many to express his admiration for the young goalkeeper:

The USA's best chance fell to Thompson just before half-time after some great work from Paul Arriola, but the former could only direct his effort wide of the goal, via Galarcep:

Serbia controlled the rest of the first half, sending several dangerous free-kicks into the American box that required Steffen to keep his focus.

At half-time, Galarcep thought the Stars and Stripes had a decent start, although he admitted Serbia had settled down and taken control of the match:

No side made any changes before the start of the second half, and play developed in a similar manner after the restart. Serbia saw more of the ball and had a couple of good looks on goal, while the U.S. showed more willingness to look for a goal.

Carter-Vickers had another excellent performance for the Yanks, and the 17-year-old was one of the main reasons why Serbia didn't manage to score early in the second half. Galarcep couldn't believe the Tottenham Hotspur man can be this good at such a young age:

He had his work cut out for him, however, as the Serbs increased the pressure throughout the second half. Steffen once again had to show his quality to make an excellent save from a set piece. With Serbia changing their approach and firing in more crosses, the stopper was kept busy.

He managed to keep his nerve, however, and Wahl wondered why so few are talking about the youngster as a potential starter for the senior side in the near future:

Entering the final 10 minutes of regulation, Serbia were well and truly in control. They twice came close to breaking the deadlock, but Steffen and a dose of luck kept U.S. hopes alive.

Rubio Rubin almost found a late winner for the Yanks but just couldn't put enough on the ball. At the end of the 90 minutes, the score was still 0-0.

Early in extra time, Serbia had a golden opportunity to take the lead. A well-worked attack across the left side of the pitch ended up with a cross which flashed past everyone and barely missed Steffen's goal. Per Galarcep, the Stars and Stripes were lucky not to concede:

The Yanks were visibly tiring, but several substitutions couldn't turn the tide. By the end of the first half of extra time, a Serbian goal seemed inevitable, while the U.S. appeared to be playing for penalties.

Fortunately for the Stars and Stripes, the Serbian pressure dissipated in the second half of injury time, and after 120 minutes, penalties were required to decide the winner of this match.

Per Galarcep, the statistics of this year's U-20 World Cup were certainly in favour of the Yanks:

The U.S. went first and immediately suffered a setback, as Rubin saw his effort saved by Predrag Rajkovic. The Serbians missed their second attempt, which brought the sides level. Tied at 5-5, Joel Sonora hit the post. However, with a chance to win the game, the Serbs' next effort was stopped by Steffen, who kept his team alive.

Carter-Vickers was the next to miss his shot, blasting his effort over the bar. Galarcep felt for the youngster, who deserved better after his great showing:

Once again, however, Steffen came through, stopping the Serbs from winning it in the shootout for a second time. The drama continued when John Requejo saw his subsequent shot stopped, and this time, the Serbs managed to finish the match, as Steffen had no chance of keeping out Maksimovic's effort.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Yanks, but the team can look back on an excellent tournament. The likes of Rubin, Zelalem and Carter-Vickers greatly helped their stock with fantastic performances, while Steffen may be knocking on the door of the senior team after another dominant showing.

Serbia will meet Mali in the semi-finals, as the African side shocked the world by beating tournament favourites Germany in their quarter-final.

Post-Match Reaction

U.S. manager Tab Ramos gave the Serbs full credit for the win, via FIFA.com:

Former U.S. international DaMarcus Beasley felt gutted for the squad:

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