All the Americans needed was a win against a Panama team they had soundly beaten in the past (a team 32 places lower than them in the FIFA rankings) and they would advance to the round of 16.
What followed was a game that could be nothing short of a national embarrassment and could lead to a crisis of confidence for coach Gregg Berhalter.
The Americans had some of their worst passing (116 total passes completed, 60 percent accuracy) and failed to control possession in a game in which the USMNT was down to ten men in 20 minutes of action. It ended in a 2-1 loss which raises a lot of questions about this team and the manager’s ability to adapt to the game ahead of them.
Now the Americans face the reality of potentially being eliminated from the Copa America altogether, needing a win or draw against Uruguay without one of their starters, Tim Weah.
They could also be forced to play without Matt Turner, their starting goalkeeper who suffered a leg bruise in a tough challenge early in the match.
Tim Weah was sent off in the 17th minute, contributing to the 2-1 defeat in the Copa América.
Questions will be asked about coach Gregg Berhalter’s ability to adapt after this loss.
The Americans thought they had started the match well with a goal from Weston McKennie that came in the fifth minute.
But after consulting VAR, referee Ivan Barton ruled that center back Tim Ream was offside when he headed past goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
A brief scare fell into the Americans’ laps in the 12th minute when Cesar Blackman went for the ball and collided with goalkeeper Matt Turner. Turner landed awkwardly and stayed down for a while before eventually getting up and playing on.
The nightmare start continued in the 17th minute, when starting winger Timothy Weah broke completely and hit defender Roderick Miller in the head.
After initially being shown a yellow card, Barton reversed his decision and showed Weah a red card and sent him to the showers early.
With the momentum on Panama’s side, it would have been expected that Los Canaleros would take the advantage first.
But it was Folarin Balogun who scored the first goal of the night to give the United States a 1-0 lead.
It was a sublime effort after a miscommunication with Gio Reyna. Reyna fed the goalscorer, who attempted a double pass that bounced off the midfielder’s ankle. The ball fell perfectly to Balogun, who struck it neatly and sent it in off the goalkeeper’s left post and over the goal line.
Matt Turner injured his leg and played for the rest of the first half.
Things got worse after Tim Weah (21) was sent off for hitting a player on the head.
Fortunately for the United States, Folarin Balogun (20) scored his second goal of the tournament to go up 1-0.
I wish the Americans could have made that lead stick.
Panama took just four minutes to equalise. Cesar Blackman’s first shot was blocked, but his second attempt managed to deflect off Chris Richards and through the arms of Matt Turner to level the game.
The first half ended with plenty of rough play, a symbol of CONCACAF football, but only Antonee “Jedi” Robinson received a yellow card.
Coach Gregg Berhalter threw up his hands in disbelief in the 43rd minute when a ball that sailed over Christian Pulisic’s goal ended in what he thought was a clear penalty inside the box. Edgardo Farina misjudged his aerial foul and fell on top of the American captain, but Barton neither showed a card nor called a penalty because Pulisic was offside.
By the half, it was clear that the USMNT was completely dominated. They were woefully outmatched and only completed 62 percent of their passes. That included just 26 total passes in the final 23 minutes.
Berhalter knew changes were needed, and quickly. Turner was unable to continue after halftime due to a leg bruise and substitute goalkeeper Ethan Horvath came on. Reyna and Tyler Adams also came off in place of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Johnny Cardoso.
Horvath was able to save his first save in the 50th minute, a strong sign for the Cardiff City goalkeeper who had not played a game since being allowed five passes against Rotherham in the EFL Championship on May 4.
The American lead lasted only four minutes before César Blackman tied it for Panama.
After ten minutes of testing, the Americans held their breath after the penalty was awarded in the 62nd minute. At first glance, it looked like Carter-Vickers had brought down José Fajardo, but VAR showed he had not touched the Panamanian striker and the game continued at 1-1.
Balogun tried another chance in the 71st minute which went harmlessly off the post and was replaced by Ricardo Pepi, who was unlucky in the match against Bolivia.
Nothing seemed to work for the Americans as the game reached the 80th minute. Any attack forced Panama to place bodies in front of the ball, preventing any build-up.
The clearest chance they had at the end of the match was in the 82nd minute, when Pepi’s header, bitten by the snake, had no venom and the ball was cleanly taken by Mosquera.
Panama’s Jose Fajardo (17) celebrates the game-winning goal against the USMNT
With this loss, the United States will likely need a result against their toughest opponent in the group: Uruguay.
Then came the back-break. A long possession in the American half led to a cross to Fajardo in the box. He got a boot on it as it sailed straight towards Horvath. The goalkeeper put on a glove and the ball passed between his two hands. 2-1 Panama.
CONCACA The affinity continued. Adalberto Carrasquilla came in with a wild challenge: he lunged at Christian Pulisic’s legs and sent him to the ground. A red card was immediately shown and both teams were tied at ten men.
Still, the Americans could do nothing. Panama was able to dribble out the clock and the match ended with a victory that will have the United States asking itself the worst questions before a do-or-die match against its toughest group stage opponent.