In 1989 the USA went to Trinidad and Tobago needing to win their final World Cup Qualifying game. Paul Caligiuri’s long-range goal ended America’s 40-year drought from the FIFA World Cup.

In 2017 the USA went to Trinidad and Tobago needing to win or draw their final World Cup Qualifying game. The team lost 2-1 and failed to make the FIFA World Cup after Honduras and Panama won their respective games.

The USA’s loss ended a 28-year streak of excellence for the team. For a generation of American players, their love and desire for soccer fueled an almost evangelical fervor. They believed that if the team succeeded on the field, the ‘beautiful game’ would also succeed in the United States.

Over the years the US Soccer Men’s National Team became synonymous with a never-say-die mentality. Time and time again they pulled out the necessary results to qualify for the World Cup. Failure was not an option.

Nothing came easy for US Soccer’s Golden Generation. They were not the most talented bunch of players, but they were never outworked or outhustled by any other side in Central and North America.

Remember this moment and never assume. You are not great unless you are able to be great — Tony Sanneh (@TonySanneh) October 11, 2017

In the 1990 World Cup, a USA team consisting mainly of college soccer players, including Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola exceeded their low expectations, including losing one game 1-0 to Italy, before being swept out of the tournament.

Four years later the United States hosted the World Cup. Under the guidance of coach Bora Milutinović and the addition of Eric Wynalda, Ernie Stewart, and Cobi Jones, the team rode a friendly home crowd and the own goal of Columbia’s Andrés Escobar to a round of 16 birth against eventual champions Brazil.

In 1998 the USA once again qualified for the World Cup, but rumors of internal strife on the team doomed them to a first-round defeat.

As the decade ended, it appeared as if all of the efforts of the US Soccer players had been for naught. The fledgling MLS soccer league nearly collapsed in 2001, and it looked that soccer would once again fail in America, as had in the 1980’s with the North American Soccer League.

Bruce Arena took over as the coach for the national team. He brought in Landon Donovan, Demarcus Beasley, and Brian McBride. The USA continued to show the strength and determination to grind out the necessary results that have become the well-known character of the US Soccer team.

Their hard work paid off in 2002 World Cup when the United States shocked everyone in the world to advance to the quarterfinals, thanks to the addition of the mercurial goal scorer Clint Mathis and midfielder John O’Brien.

Although the team suffered a letdown in the 2006 World Cup depite the addition of Clint Dempsey, they righted the ship under the management of the next US Soccer coach Bob Bradley.

Bradley understood he didn’t have to reinvent the wheel for US Soccer, but just reinforce it. He added the talents of his son Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones to the side while fostering the same spirit that was the driving factors for the team for almost two decades.

The Golden Generation’s defining moment occurred during the 2010 World Cup when Landon Donovan’ goal against Algeria advanced the United States to the knockout stages and captivated the American public.

After the team’s success in 2010, it appeared as if soccer finally found a place in the hearts of American sports fan.

Looking to make the “next step” in the World Cup, US Soccer brought in Jurgen Klinsmann. Although the former Germany coach had an idea of where he wanted to take the national team, his desire to tinker with the side and to continually add and drop players, including the face of US Soccer Landon Donovan, affected its character.

The team did qualify for the 2014 World Cup and made the second round. However, under Klinsmann, the national team devolved from a tight group of players who understood the importance of wearing the red, white and blue to a mere collection of pro soccer athletes.

A whole new generation of USMNT players grew up with a now successful pro soccer league. They no longer had to struggle to prove to ordinary Americans that soccer was a legitimate sport. Pro soccer was here to stay in the United States. They inevitably expected that the US Men’s National Team would always be part of the World Cup every four years and, perhaps, even do well in it!

Without a collective identity to bind them, the team started to show worrying signs with their results. The United States first shocking loss was to Jamaica in the 2015 Gold Cup followed by a 2016 defeat to Guatemala in World Cup Qualifying.

But those missteps were nothing to the USA’s disastrous final qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup. The USA’s 2-1 loss at home to Mexico was quickly followed by a 4-0 drubbing in Costa Rica.

With the team a mess, US Soccer president Sunil Gulati fired his hand-picked coach and brought in Bruce Arena to clean up the house. Arena appeared to right the ship by defeating Honduras 6-0 and drawing Mexico away. But the weaknesses in the side resurfaced when the USA lost 3-0 at home to Costa Rica and barely eeked out a point away to Honduras.

Still, after dominating Panama 4-0 at home, all the USA had to do was go to Trinidad and get a draw against the last place team in the overly generous final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, known as the “hex.”

But in the most crucial game of the year, the USA came out without any spark and let the home Soca Warriors have the best chances early. A couple of mistakes and within thirty minutes the Americans found themselves down 2-0.

In year’s past, the US Men’s National team would arise, do what they had to do, and get the result needed to ensure qualification to the World Cup.

But the USA players on the field did not have the same resolve. An early second-half goal from the latest USA wonder-kid Christian Pulsic seemed to open the door, but their only other decent chance was a Dempsey shot tipped away by the T&T keeper.

Disappointed in the work rate, commitment, & heart of some players on the pitch during that 90 min. Some don’t understand what they have. — Tommy Heinemann (@TommyHeinemann) October 11, 2017

The loss closes a chapter of the United States Men’s Soccer Team. The team says so-long to the last vestiges of the old guard players in Clint Dempsey and Demarcus Beasley and now enters the great unknown.

Today is the worst day in US Soccer History. — Kyle Martino (@kylemartino) October 11, 2017

US Soccer begins a new generation with a group of unproven soccer players, without a clear mission, and without any apparent direction.

We must learn from this and move forward to ensure a brighter future for soccer in the US. Thanks to the fans for always believing — Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) October 11, 2017

Who knows where the road will lead soccer in America but at this moment of utter despair for most US Soccer fans, let’s take a moment to tip our hats to the players from US Soccer’s Golden Generation.

From all the US Soccer fans who shared the journey, thank you USMNT for an incredible 28-years.

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Douglas Zimmerman is SFGate’s soccer beat writer covering the the San Francisco Deltas and the “beautiful game” around the world. He also is working on a photo essay photographing the fans of the World Cup that he started in 2002.