THE UNITED STATES U-20 women's national team lost to North Korea Saturday night in Toronto, crashing out of the World Cup in the quarterfinal round.

The U.S. drew first blood in the sixth minute of the match when Makenzy Doniak put back her own rebound to give the Americans an early 1-0 lead, but the North Koreans equalized in the 54th minute on a penalty by Jon So Yon. The match went to extra time with a 1-1 scoreline but neither team was able to break the deadlock in the extra stanza. The North Koreans prevailed in penalties, 3-1.

Here are four things we learned from the match.

The Americans Were Outplayed

Despite the fact that the North Korean equalizer came on a penalty and that the game was ultimately won in a shootout, North Korea deserved to win the match. Other than the first 10 minutes of play, the Americans were simply outplayed.

Much of this seemed due to the U.S.'s 4-3-3 formation, which was poorly executed. Once the North Koreans adjusted to the high pressure from the Americans, they began to find time and space on the ball—particularly space on the flank in behind the U.S.'s three forwards. As a result, the U.S. spent most of the match chasing the ball and North Korea dominated possession.

For a three-forward system to work, the three forwards must apply pressure as a group with help from the attacking midfielder when they don't have the ball.

In possession, a 4-3-3 only works if the outside backs can get involved in the attack—which didn't happen for the Americans all tournament—and the three forwards must make dynamic runs and stay connected. Unfortunately for the U.S., their wide forwards usually confined themselves to static runs down the sideline, something defenders find easy to read.

Against North Korea on Saturday, and at other times in the tournament, when the U.S. forwards did get possession, they struggled to find each other and build combinations.

In fact, the U.S. attack was so bad against the Koreans that after its goal in the sixth minute, it didn't create another quality chance until the 69th minute. It also did not force a save out of the North Korean keeper until the 102nd minute of play.

U.S. Stars Didn't Show Up

The two best players for the U.S. in the group stage were Paris Saint-Germain forward Lindsey Horan and University of Wisconsin midfielder Rose Lavelle. Against North Korea, both played below standard.

Lavelle, who had been terrific for the U.S. the entire tournament, uncharacteristically struggled in possession on Saturday night. Her passing was off all game long and it was her giveaway just after the half that led to North Korea's penalty.

Horan, who was responsible for scoring three of the U.S.'s four goals in group play, was unable to get much going on the offensive end and the U.S. attack stagnated.

Mallory Pugh and Doniak, who both started up top, did combine for the U.S.'s goal and one other good chance in the second half, but didn't do much else. Doniak was invisible for large portions of the game and Pugh repeatedly gave the ball away on a number of promising American counters.

A Mixed Bag from Rowland

Goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland was up and down all tournament for the U.S.

Against North Korea, she made a number of terrific catches and punches in traffic. However, on the play that North Korea earned the penalty kick to equalize in the second half, Rowland found herself too far out. The ball sailed over her head to a North Korean player on the back post. The ensuing shot was blocked by the hand of U.S. defender Stephanie Amack and North Korea was awarded a penalty, which it converted.

Rowland also struggled with distribution. Throughout the tournament, every time she collected the ball with her hands she simply smashed the ball upfield instead of looking for teammates. It may be unfair to place the onus completely on Rowland, as she may have been instructed by head coach Michelle French to punt rather than distribute. But through all four games for the U.S., the Americans never looked to build from the back when Rowland was in possession. By electing to simply kick the ball up the field and create 50/50 situations over and over again, the U.S. gave away the initiative.

What's next?

While the U.S. is out of the tournament, there are few bright spots. Lavelle, despite her poor game against North Korea, has a creative flair and technical proficiency which could easily lead to her playing for the senior national team in the next few years. Horan, for her part, should continue to develop in France and could eventually add to the already impressive depth that the senior team has at forward.

Pugh, who is only 16, could potentially play in two more U-20 World Cups.

Rowland's impressive range makes her one to keep an eye on. The mistakes that she made in this tournament are all correctable and a goalkeepers' decision-making is always the last part of their game to fully develop—something that often doesn't become complete until their late 20s or early 30s.

The implications of the U-20's 4-3-3 struggles may also worry some U.S. fans as the senior team has recently moved to the same formation. However, the personnel and quality of players on the senior team is obviously much different. Still, the U.S.'s lack of possession at the U-20 level is troubling. To many U.S. fans, it appears to be another indicator that the rest of the world has surpassed the U.S. and that the American's traditional advantages in athleticism, fitness, and competitiveness are no longer enough to keep the U.S. on top.

John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist. Follow him on Twitter.