ULSAN, South Korea, 23 June — The United States’ surprising run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup has been halted but will the team’s success help soccer to get a foothold in the land of baseball, basketball and American football?

The US team was upbeat after going down by a single goal to Germany here on Friday and but for an inspired performance from German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn the Americans could be sitting in the last four.

US coach Bruce Arena sounded a positive note for the prospects of what is still a minority sport back home.

“There is a bright future for the game in the United States,” he said. “We have shown the world we can play. We want to come back for the next World Cup in 2006.”

But the 50-year-old former college coach could not rule out that the Americans’ success might amount to a false dawn.

“As far as what we have achieved means for the game in the US, let’s wait and see what happens. Let’s wait and see whether it has any effect,” he said.

Arena remained tight-lipped on his apparent ambitions to coach a club in Europe and has yet to commit his future to the US national team, although he conceded this week it was unlikely that a European club would ever be interested in an American coach.

However his successor will probably not have to spend his early coaching years combining football with lacrosse — not something his opposite number for Germany on Friday, Rudi Voeller, ever had to contend with.

When the United States beat Portugal 3-2 in their opening game, it was written off as a fluke.

When they drew with co-hosts South Korea, people began to believe in the team and they progressed to the second round on goal difference despite losing 3-1 to Poland, before eliminating the Mexicans 2-0 to earn a place in the last eight for the first time in 72 years.

Defender Tony Sanneh, one of the most experienced members of the squad, who plays in Germany for Nuremberg, said the Americans had broken through an important mental barrier.

“Some of the younger players were in awe of their opponents and they’re saying, ‘wow, we have to play with these guys’. I’ve always told them that we mustn’t fear anyone and that is what I am saying to them today.

“I just hope people appreciate the success we have had.

“This is the World Cup and the American people should be excited. If you watch a game of soccer once you will like it. It is just getting people to watch it that first time.”

Gregg Berhalter, who earns his living playing for English club Crystal Palace, pointed to the young nucleus of the US team.

“We have two guys who are 20 years of old and not many countries can say that,” he said.

The two in question — promising midfielders Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley — are products of the US league’s Project 40, which is designed to find the best high school and college players and place them in professional clubs.

Donovan will return to top German club Bayer Leverkusen after the finals for a second attempt at breaking into top-level European competition.

Arena won five college championships in 17 years as coach at the University of Virginia. But he is dismissive of the worth of developing players through the collegiate system.

“We can beat anyone in crossword puzzles, but the world doesn’t care how educated we are,” he said.

Arena believes the momentum gained from the US team’s run in the World Cup could only be translated into long-term development of players if large-scale changes were made in the way football is run in the country.

“In the US, the development of players has been the responsibility of the governing body and that is not the way to do it,” said Arena.

He wants the clubs to play that role, as they do in most ‘traditional’ football powers. Unfortunately Major League Soccer has just cut its 12-team structure to 10 clubs and has heavy debts.