Where Are They Now? Revisiting the 2016 USMNT Copa America squad that made thrilling semifinal run

The 2016 tournament began on a low note for the USMNT, with a 2-0 loss to Colombia in the Group Stage. However, a 4-0 blanking of Costa Rica and a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay saw the U.S. top their group due to goal differential, tied at six points with Los Cafeteros.

They advanced into the knockout stages, where they memorably defeated a talented Ecuador side 2-1 in the quarterfinals. In doing so, though, they booked a date with Messi and Argentina - and well, we all know how that went.

The US then met a familiar foe in the ensuing third-place game against Colombia. Once again, though, Los Cafeteros came out on top, this time, a narrow 1-0 victory.

The emphatic run in that tournament inspired a young generation of U.S. soccer fans and players. Despite the catastrophe that was CONCACAF World Cup qualifying surrounding the squad, that Copa America run gave fans a glimpse at the potential of the program.

Let's dig in...

Matt Besler: Besler retired from professional soccer in 2021, and made his final appearance with the USMNT in 2017. He started the famed 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago that year - the match that saw them crash out of World Cup qualifying, and that would go on to be his final showing repping his country’s crest.

Steve Birnbaum: Birnbaum made 11 appearances for the USMNT from 2015-2017, with eight of them coming in 2016. He currently plays for D.C. United in MLS as a central defender.

John Brooks: Brooks' USMNT career has been an odd one. The central defender and the USSF have been at odds with each other for some time, and seemingly Gregg Berhalter, too. The 31-year-old has not represented the US since 2021, despite playing regularly in the German Bundesliga at a high level. He remains available for the USMNT, but has not been seen in more than three years on the international stage.

Geoff Cameron: Cameron has since retired professionally, with his final season coming in 2021-22 with FC Cincinnati. The central defender made 55 appearances for the USMNT through 2017, with his final showing in a US kit being the colossal failure in Trinidad in 2017. He appeared at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was an important defender for the national team.

Timmy Chandler: Chandler has been playing with Eintracht Frankfurt since 2014, but has been eased out of the international picture, despite still actively playing in the German Bundesliga. The defender last played in 2016 for the U.S., for which he made 29 international appearances.

Fabian Johnson: Johnson, a versatile midfielder, retired professionally in 2020 after a storied career throughout Germany at the club level. With the U.S., he amassed 57 caps over six years, with his last appearance coming in 2017.

Michael Orozco: Orozco retired professionally in 2019, with his final USMNT appearance coming in 2016. The defender was capped 29 times from 2008-2016.

DeAndre Yedlin: Now crafting his trade with FC Cincinnati, Yedlin is still a top fullback in MLS. He was transferred to Cincy earlier this year from Inter Miami, where he captained Messi and company into 2024.

Kyle Beckerman: Beckerman has since retired from professional soccer, ending his storied career with Real Salt Lake in 2020. His final international appearances with the U.S. came in 2016, with 58 total caps from 2007-2016.

Alejandro Bedoya: Bedoya has yet to retire, still playing professionally with the Philadelphia Union in MLS. The midfielder, who amassed 66 caps for the USMNT from 2010-2017, did not appear for the US after that fateful night in Trinidad.

Michael Bradley: Bradley, widely-considered one of the greatest U.S. midfielders to grace the pitch, retired professionally in 2023. His final club was Toronto FC in MLS, but he was more known for being one of the first real superstars of the American game to breakout in Europe with AS Roma in Italy. He retired from the international game in 2019 after accumulating 151 appearances with the USMNT.

Since, he’s taking up coaching, with his latest stint in Stabæk, Norway.

Jermaine Jones: Jones’ USMNT career was full of ups and downs, and he’s since retired and taken up coaching professionally. The German-American midfielder, who made 69 appearances from 2010-2017 with the U.S., has been managing Central Valley Fuego in the USL since 2023.

Perry Kitchen: Kitchen made five appearances with the USMNT, with all of them coming in 2015-16. He last played in 2021-22 with the Columbus Crew in MLS.

Darlington Nagbe: Nagbe will forever be a “what could have been” player for the USMNT program. One of the most talented players to ever come through men’s American soccer, he last appeared in a US kit in 2017 - starting that night in Trinidad. Following that match, Nagbe declined multiple call-ups to the national team - including opportunities under Berhalter. Instead, he’s quietly crafted his trade as one of the best players in MLS over the past decade. He has been with the Columbus Crew since 2020.

Christian Pulisic: What else is there to say? He is actively the most important player on the current USMNT roster and the only member of Gregg Berhalter’s squad with experience in Copa America. Pulisic will be the most crucial asset this summer as the USMNT look to find themselves on the podium.

Graham Zusi: Zusi made 55 appearances with the USMNT through 2017, appearing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, too. However, his international career came to an end after the failure in Trinidad in 2017.

Clint Dempsey: Now retired, Dempsey is considered one of - if not the - greatest USMNT players of all time. He ended his career with 57 international goals and 141 international caps.

He announced his professional retirement in 2018, and sits tied alongside Landon Donovan as the highest-ever goals-scorers for the USMNT.

Chris Wondolowski: Wondolowski’s international career ended rather abruptly after the 2016 Copa America, but the MLS legend continued to ply his trade in the league until professional retirement in 2021. He remains the league’s best-ever goal-scorer with 171 goals across 413 appearances.

Bobby Wood: Wood, now 31, plays in MLS with the New England Revolution. His last appearances with the USMNT came in 2018, but in five years with the U.S., he scored 13 goals across 45 international appearances.

Gyasi Zardes: Zardes, who now plays for Austin FC in MLS, last appeared for the USMNT in 2022. Following the conclusion of the 2016 Copa, he remained a striker option in the pool for the USMNT, although he never found himself among the elite. He netted 14 international goals across 68 appearances.

Jurgen Klinsmann: The German legend was removed from his position as head coach of the USMNT shortly after Copa America in 2016, in large part due to the team's poor form in CONCACAF World Cup qualification.

Horrific losses to Mexico and Costa Rica on home soil were the last straw for the now-59-year-old.

Since, he has had stints as manager of Hertha BSC in the German Bundesliga and the South Korean National team. He is a currently a coaching free agent.