Sunday's 31-19 loss to Tonga in the final game of pool play means that the USA will have to wait another four years for a shot at a World Cup victory.

Hopes were pretty high that the Eagles would leave Japan with a win against the Tongans, and perhaps some pride for pushing one of the big three teams in their pool (England, France, Argentina).

Neither of those things materialized. The best performance came against France, where the USA trailed by three points with 15 minutes to play before shipping in a trifecta of late tries for a 33-9 defeat. 

While it's frustrating for us to see our national team continue to fall short on the big stage, that shouldn't tell us that everything we're doing is wrong. 

Yes, there are some structural things to improve across the board, and yes, there are some administrative problems that could use fixing. But on the whole, the level of rugby that is being played in the United States at all levels (high school, college, senior) is higher than it has ever been. 

What can the USA do now to avoid going winless for a third straight World Cup in 2023?

Stay tuned as I take a look at three areas we as a rugby community can build upon moving forward to evolve USA Rugby into the power it can be.