Another dramatic and important night in US Soccer ended as many expected it to, with the US Men’s National Team putting in a typical American effort in a 4-0 demolition of Guatemala, while the U-23’s lacked the quality or the nous to overcome Colombia in the second leg of their Olympic qualifying tie.

So where does that leave the US National Team program heading into the Copa America Centenario in the summer, and beyond?

In Columbus, the senior team put in the shift everyone expected a desperate team to put in at home. There are times in World Cup qualifying when desperation sets in, and in the past the US has always responded. When they needed to win in Barbados to qualify for the Hex in 2001, they did (though it took 65 minutes to finally get a goal, they scored three more). Last time in this very stage of qualification, the US gutted out a win against a game Jamaican side and scraped into the Hex, where the qualification voyage sailed with less turbulence. Tuesday night, the US’ talent won out against a Guatemalan team that was absolutely abysmal, even for a team that barely scraped by Antigua to get into the semifinals of qualifying altogether. They weren’t even that amazing from open play, but their quality on set pieces and Guatemala’s total lack of quality meant that the US was always favorites to win, and win comfortably.

The Olympic team on the other hand, melted down against Colombia in Frisco. With only one shot on target over two legs, and otherwise being totally outclassed outside of one defensive breakdown in Barranquilla and a wind-aided own goal, the U-23’s were comprehensively outclassed, outthought and outgunned. In most situations, this wouldn’t mean much since the Olympic Men’s Soccer Tournament is in many ways the red-headed step child of competitive tournaments, but Jurgen Klinsmann prioritized the competition and in two straight cycles the group he has overseen has failed to qualify, embarrassingly so, twice. There isn’t much shame in losing to Colombia over two legs, but the complete and utter failure against Honduras is the reason why the American U-23’s are not at the Olympics for the second cycle running.

Is it fair to judge Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure as technical director on making it to tournaments that don’t really matter? In some ways no, but seeing as he himself is the reason why qualifying for the Olympics and Confederations Cup meant so much, he must be judged on it. Is he the sole reason for the failure to qualify for the Olympics? Of course not, since there are fundamental and structural issues that US Soccer hasn’t come close to fixing, but as technical director Klinsmann assumes responsibility for these failures as the leader of the program. Under his watch, the team failed to qualify for two Olympics and the U-17 World Cup three years ago for the first time ever. Saying he has failed in some ways does not mean those below him and those before him are off the hook, but even if he won’t take responsibility for the failure, it’s evident he’ll use this as a crutch going forward for future failures on the pitch.

Making the quarterfinals of the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand showed that there was and is potential in the upcoming players through the fractured US development system. That doesn’t change even though the Olympic cycle ended with a thud. Players such as Jordan Morris, Emerson Hyndman, Kellyn Acosta, Ethan Horvath and others still have promise (when they are played in position that is), and some of their futures will take them to the full national team. But not many players from youth level excel at the senior level. Nigeria has been the kings of youth level tournaments for years, and they just failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations next year. Germany just qualified for its first Olympics since reunification, and they seem to be doing just fine without making it (they do quite well in European U-21 tournaments). Failing to qualify for the Olympics under normal circumstances might not be great for optics, but is made far worse when the face of the program pumps up its importance, and he is the one who has to take blame for that.

Most of the changes Klinsmann has instituted as technical director will not bear fruit for years, and that’s because the waiting game in sports is painful. That goes for the Olympic team and the full senior team, who both need a breath of fresh air. Klinsmann’s legacy as coach and technical director continues to sour with each passing day, and he largely has himself to blame for forcing people to take notice. Qualifying for the Olympics wouldn’t have fixed the problems existing in youth development, and beating Guatemala 4-0 to save World Cup qualifying after a brief wobble doesn’t fix the issues that exist within that squad. There are major, holistic issues that still exist, and nothing from Tuesday night changes that story.

Without that Olympic experience for this current crop of young American players, they will need to play important games for the senior team, and how many chances do they have? That’s what this summer may glean.

But after Tuesday night, is US Soccer in any better or worse place than it was before last Friday? No, not really.